


Bloodline Curses

by Wolf_Blossom



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, F/M, Feudalism, Half-Demon InuYasha (InuYasha), Romance, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2019-07-20 22:14:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 62,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16146644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolf_Blossom/pseuds/Wolf_Blossom
Summary: An ancient curse plagues the InuYoukai Tribe: if an heir is not produced every generation, the clan will cease to exist. Against his very will, Inuyasha sets out to find a way dispel the curse but with time running short, will Inuyasha be forced to take Kagome as his mate?





	1. Tale of Two Shard Hunters

* * *

"Wench, how much longer?"

Higurashi Kagome looked up from her task of roasting skewers of fish to glower at her half-demon companion. She knew he was both hungry and antsy seeing as it was the eve of the new moon, but she didn't appreciate being rushed. Inuyasha's ochre eyes bore into Kagome's and an awkward silence ensued; Kagome refused to answer and Inuyasha refused to relent. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Inuyasha's shoulder's sagged.

"Okay, fine. Sorry. _Keh…_ " He added his signature scoff for good measure. Swallowing her laughter, Kagome told him it would just be a few more minutes until the fish was ready before returning her attention to the _seven_ skewers—Inuyasha insisted he was starving and brought back a haori-full of fish.

It had been three years since Kagome fell into the Bone Eater's Well, which meant three _long_ years of travelling with Inuyasha. Kagome's eighteenth birthday had just passed and, to her joy and dismay, she had passed high school but didn't pass her university entrance exams. Her mother had explained that it was actually a blessing in disguise; Kagome didn't have the time to juggle to save both Feudal Japan and get her degree.

 _"The degree can wait_ ," Kaori Higurashi smiled at her, _"the world cannot."_

And, thus, Kagome didn't pursue a post-secondary education and lived full-time in Feudal Japan. It had been a long time since she discarded her school uniform and accepted proper Feudal Japanese garb; it was quite the adjustment when Kagome had to get comfortable travelling and fighting in a yukata, but she had eventually gotten the hang of it. She also kept a set of her traditional shrine priestess attire, similar to what Kikyo wore, but Kagome didn't feel comfortable in such a getup—not because of mobility, but because of the memories attached to it.

"… it's been a few minutes, wench." Inuyasha called and Kagome laughed.

"They're ready," she affirmed and, without hesitating, Inuyasha plucked a skewer. Kagome glanced over her shoulder, westbound, and saw that the sun was dangerously close to the horizon, which only meant that they had but a few short hours before Inuyasha transformed into a human. It was nights like these Kagome wished that her companions were still with her, but Sango was with child, which forced her and Miroku to temporarily retire from their travels, and Shippo was enrolled in Fox School.

It wasn't by choice, though. The ancient Kitsune Clan had sought out Inuyasha and Kagome and informed them that, as Shippo's acting guardians, they had an obligation to enrol him into the Fox School. With much reluctance on Kagome's part, the duo agreed to send Shippo off to school.

That put Inuyasha and Kagome back to their roots: just the two of them searching for the Shikon no Tama.

Kagome shifted so that she was sitting on her butt and not her legs and stretched her legs out in front of her. She was wearing a light pink yukata Inuyasha had bought for her in the previous village they were passing through; he had earned money for transporting giant sacks of rice and used the proceeds to buy travel necessities and a new outfit for Kagome.

"You know something," Kagome finally said as Inuyasha was midway through his fifth skewer. He looked up at Kagome to see that her eyes were in a trance, lost in the flickering of the dying flame that cooked their dinner. "Although I miss our friends… especially on nights like this," Kagome's eyes refocused and she caught Inuyasha's. "It feels nice just to travel through Japan, the two of us, again."

Inuyasha nodded slowly. "Well, yeah. It was originally our mission…"

Kagome exhaled loudly. "Yes but it was _our_ fault the other's became involved."

Inuyasha finished his skewer and tossed it to the side. He leaned back on his left arm and propped his right arm on his right knee. "Not exactly. Miroku was always cursed, Sango has her brother because we shattered the jewel, and the Thunder Brother's killed Shippo's dad. None of it, except Kohaku, has anything to do with us."

Kagome chewed on her bottom lip. "I guess you're right. I just have mixed emotions about travelling with it being just us."

"I think I know what you're saying," Inuyasha looked up at the sun. It was time. He stood up and dusted off his hakama. "They became our family and it's odd to continue doing the norm without your family, right?" He held his hand out to Kagome which she took without reluctance. Not caring about the dying fire, Inuyasha leapt into the tall tree they were camping beside just in time for the sun to set. Within seconds, his demonic features were gone and the black-haired human appeared.

"Let's get some rest," Inuyasha said with his arms outstretched. Kagome, who had picked up her bow and arrows before allowing Inuyasha to pull her into the trees, shoved four of her sacred arrows into the bark of the tree trunk behind them, and in the branch they were perched upon.

Inuyasha watched. Kagome had learned a powerful barrier spell when the group disbanded for the sole purpose of ensuring that they were protected during the nights of the new moon. Chanting a quick incantation, a pale pink aura surrounded them ensuring their safety for the night. With everything done, Kagome positioned herself in his arms before he loosely let them rest on her waist.

Sleeping in the trees, next to each other, was a habit they picked up after Sango, Miroku, and Shippo left the group. With nobody on the ground to keep watch of predators, Inuyasha insisted she slept in the trees with him. It was both safer, as there were less aerial predators than there were land monsters, and more practical as Inuyasha was right there.

It was also the main reason Kagome had been determined to learn her barrier spell, as well.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha whispered and Kagome made a soft humming sound.

"Goodnight."

He saw her smile. He knew it made her happy when he dropped his guard, and it was easier to do so when he was human.

"Goodnight, Inuyasha."

_.xx._

Kagome woke up when she felt Inuyasha's core pulsate. Not even worrying, she yawned loudly and only snuggled closer to her, now, half-demon companion. She felt his chest rumble and she immediately knew that Inuyasha was laughing. Three years of travelling with her had caused him to lighten up _considerably_.

"It's the crack of dawn," she muttered. "I'm still exhausted."

"We have to set off now, Kagome." He tried to pry her hold off of him, but it was to no avail.

"No we don't." Kagome argued back and refused to let go of her makeshift pillow. "We have no leads on any shards, no leads on Naraku, no evil creatures coming to kidnap me, and no psycho witches coming to marry you. So, in retaliation, we do _not_ have to set off immediately."

"Nobody has ever tried to marry me." Inuyasha muttered but decided to cave in and give his companion a few more moments of shut eye. She had been rather amicable as of late, travelling the extensive hours he wanted them to, and not taking as many breaks as she did when Sango was part of the group. _Maybe the hot spring loses its charm when you're bathing alone._ Inuyasha surmised.

"Yet." Kagome muttered, drifting off to sleep again. "Nobody has tried to marry you _yet_."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes but chose not to rebuke her statement. She was already in a state of half asleep and he knew that she had no idea what she was saying. "Fine. But only until the sun has risen."

Inuyasha's condition fell on deaf ears; Kagome was already asleep.

Inuaysha shifted slightly so that Kagome was a little more comfortable and leaned his head against the trunk of the tree. It was a rare occasion that he had a few moments to himself; his left arm was wrapped around Kagome's waist and his right was gripping the hilt of Tetsusaiga. His mind wandered aimlessly, his thoughts were scattered.

He loved having Kagome in his arms, it felt right but he didn't want to contemplate that. It was a feeling that he wasn't allowed to feel.

He loved travelling with Kagome on a mission all their own, but he didn't want to think about that either. It was an arrangement that would end as soon as the Shikon no Tama was recovered wholly.

He hated Naraku, and in order to not piss himself off, Inuyasha avoided thinking of him. That bastard wasn't worth his time _or_ energy.

 _I wonder what would've happened if Kagome never released me from the Goshinboku_. But it was useless thinking about that as well, since Kagome's destiny and Inuyasha's were intertwined before either of their births. Inuyasha closed his eyes and began to enter a state of meditation. He allowed his body to forget all of his worldly trouble and simply _exist_ for that moment in time—it was a rare occurrence that he and Kagome were able to relax and, as much as he was itching to resume their travels, it was an occurrence he was willing to embrace with open arms.

Before Inuyasha knew it, he had drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

_.xx._

"Nothing?" Inuyasha asked for the umpteenth time.

He and Kagome were following the dusty path to the next village. They were headed east, straight into Kouga's territory, and made it a point to stop by all the villages that were on the main road. They were hoping that by stopping at all villages and towns that they'd be able to pick up on jewel shard rumours…

"Nothing." Kagome confirmed. "Odd how there's no jewel activity."

" _Keh_ ," Inuyasha shoved his hands into the sleeves of his haori. "I'm willing to bet Tetsusaiga that Naraku has all the shards and he's waiting for us to find him."

"That's a possibility, but very unlikely."

"And why the hell is it _so_ unlikely, wench?" Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow and spoke with a gruff causing Kagome to roll her eyes exaggeratedly. _Despite maturing over the last three years, he's still has a **long** way to go_.

"Because Kohaku and Kouga still have their shards. Naraku _knows_ we aren't going to extract _their_ shards. For Kohaku and Kouga to be rid of their shards, it would _have_ to be Naraku that does it." Kagome watched Inuyasha's expression turn from annoyance to realization and back to annoyance. She muffled her laughter with the back of her hand which resulted in Inuyasha growling deeply.

 _I hate when the wench makes sense_. He wasn't going to voice his thought, though.

Kagome made a humming sound and adjusted her yellow backpack – Inuyasha could barely fathom how her backpack made it out alive over the course of the last three years. He had already made a mental note of which brand her bag was from and when he made it to the future; he was going to invest in _stocks_ … _Thank ramen Souta gave me a little lesson on the stock market._ Inuyasha was grinning stupidly, recalling a time in the not so distant past where Kagome's brother showed him how the stock market worked while waiting for Kagome to come back from dinner with her friends.

"Maybe it's just a quiet shard week." Kagome finally answered and Inuyasha snorted. Her excuse sounded lame, even to herself.

"No such thing—is that thing too heavy?" Inuyasha eyed Kagome struggling to shoulder her bag.

"A little, there's extra ramen in here… I wasn't expecting to _not_ have ramen last night— _what the_?!" Kagome was taken by surprise when Inuyasha pulled her bag off of her shoulder and slung it onto his own.

" _Keh_."

Kagome giggled and pulled her arms over her head in a loud stretch. It was good to not be busy with constant battles, but it did concern her slightly. _What is Naraku up to? Actually…_ Kagome chewed on her thumb's nail. _Kikyo's been quiet too… this can't be good, but I can't even begin to guess what the two of them are up to… Not without being in possession of more shards, at least._

"What's on your mind?"

Kagome's eyes flickered to Inuyasha and back to the dusty path in a matter of seconds.

"Nothing, really."

"Bullshit." Inuyasha called her bluff. "You spaced out. You never space out, so what's wrong?"

"Just thinking of what Naraku could be up to."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. He knew Kagome was lying, he _smelt_ it on her but he wasn't about to press the matter. If there was anything he had learned it was that if Kagome make up her mind in not telling him something, no amount of yelling at her would change her mind. He would have to sneakily bring up the topic later that evening after he lulled her into a false sense of security.

 _The wench has made me ridiculously sneaky_. He was kind of proud of that fact.

"Plume of smoke!" Kagome called suddenly as her eye snapped to a rising cloud of spike in the horizon. She pointed in the direction and Inuyasha's eyes followed suit, seeing a thin plum of smoke peeking out from behind a thick layer of trees.

"Could be the village we're on route to." Inuyasha looked over at Kagome. "Shall we run?"

Kagome nodded and took the backpack from Inuyasha, allowing him to crouch and her to mount his back. Within seconds, the whoosh of the air greeted Kagome's face and took her back to a familiar feeling— riding on Inuyasha's back was something that always made her feel _at home_. Apart from the fact that she was physically so close to him, it also brought back memories of her childhood… a childhood that was quickly stripped from her when she was tossed into the throes of danger.

 _At least travelling with Inuyasha has taught me a lot of valuable things._ Kagome mused. _Like being able to fake sleep… and fake indifference… and being able to mask certain scents of mine._

Like love.

Like affection.

Like lust.

Like despire.

All the emotions she felt for Inuyasha were flawlessly masked. Even if she shoved her naked body in his face, he wouldn't be able to catch a whiff of how her scent changed when she was around him.

He wouldn't be able to scent the change in her arousal… of how it spiked…

He could _never_ find out that she loved him so much that her soul hurt. It wasn't allowed, it wasn't in her stars to be with him. He had committed himself to being with Kikyo in the afterlife, so she had no right to call him anything other than just a friend.

In any case, it took her three years to master hiding how she felt about Inuyasha, and she'd be damned if all of her efforts were in vain.

Masking _other_ scents though, such as when she was lying, was still a work in progress. _He probably knows that I just lied to him_. She thought with a groan. She was kind of glad that he said nothing about it, though… perhaps he had finally learned that probing for answers when Kagome wasn't willing to give any was a futile feat.

Inuyasha leapt from tree branch to tree branch, hitting speeds that Kagome had long become accustomed to. Within no time at all, Inuyasha arrived at the foot of the village that had the plume of smoke rising from it. As soon as Kagome dismounted from Inuyasha, he plucked the backpack from her and they began to walk the rest of the way.

"What's our story this time?" Kagome glanced over at Inuyasha who merely shrugged.

"Let's play it by ear, as we always do."

Kagome watched him for a second longer before tearing her gaze off of him. After their ragtag group of shard hunters disbanded, Inuyasha and Kagome found it difficult to seek refuge. Kagome's appearance was less flashy, since she had adopted the yukata and retired her school uniform, but an unmarried woman in Sengoku Jidai travelling with a hanyou companion was something that most villagers were not willing to accept.

Inuyasha being a hanyou was alone to be turned away.

The duo had started to read the different villagers emotions. In one village, Inuyasha had to pretend to be an evil monster that kidnapped Kagome and threatened to kill all the villagers if they did not give them a place to stay for the night. Another village located in the Western Lands (close to Kaede's village) Inuyasha and Kagome got by with the truth: they were the shard hunters.

Recently, they had to pretend to be mates as the village they travelled to did not have issues with Inuyasha being a hanyou, but were concerned over Kagome's female purity.

"How about we start off as shard hunters and go from there?" Kagome suggested and Inuyasha made a sound that resembled _keh._ Kagome rolled her eyes before turning to look at Inuyasha.

"A response would be appreciated."

"I responded, wench."

"You made a sound."

"I said _keh._ "

Kagome groaned. "That doesn't mean _anything."_

"My ass it doesn't."

The duo bickered their way to the threshold of the village. It was unusually quiet, not a single soul could be seen nor were there any living animals or creatures around the village. Their bickering faded to obvious concern: _this isn't normal._ The same thought echoed in both of their consciousness.

"A little quiet, wouldn't you say?" Kagome whispered, moving to pull an arrow out of her quiver while sliding her bow off of her shoulder. Inuyasha silently gripped the hilt of his Tetsusaiga; he was ready to protect Kagome at any and all cost.

The shard hunters ventured further into the village, their pace slow but cautious. Inuyasha had all of his senses on alert; he was ready to hack and slash at anything that may deign to put a _finger_ on Kagome. Despite the creepy feeling in his gut, Inuyasha didn't _sense_ anything.

"Do you feel anything, Kagome?" He asked his voice just above a whisper as he was unsure what sort of creature could surprise attack them if they were heard.

"Nothing. No shards." Kagome confirmed and that caused him to tighten his grip on the hilt of his sword.

"This is fucking eerie." Inuyasha admitted and Kagome could do nothing but agree. There was an ominous feel to the village, but no ominous aura _existed_. But if there was anything the shard hunters had learned over the course of the three years, it was that they needed to _always_ trust their gut instinct. They had gotten themselves in to a lot of messy situations when they hadn't followed their gut.

Kagome staggered when Inuyasha whirled around and pointed his rusty sword in the face of wrinkly old man.

"Who the fuck are you?"

Kagome bit her bottom lip to prevent herself from chastising Inuyasha. Normally she would've threatened to _osuwari_ him into the darkest depths of hell, but something didn't sit well with her.

"Are ye travellers?" The old man peered at the duo over the rim of his partially broken glasses. "What is yer relationship with the woman, half-breed?"

It was that time to, what Inuyasha referred to as, _play-it-by-ear_.

"Not that it should matter, but she's my mate, old man." Inuyasha concocted. Alone in a desolate village with a creepy old man, Inuyasha would be _damned_ if he let the old man think that Kagome was something other than _Inuyasha's_.

 _She's ours regardless._ The grumble of his full-demon blood roared to life in his subconscious. Inuyasha, though, was quick to lock it away.

"Your mate? My, my… we have progressed substantially." The old man's shoulders relaxed. "A miko and a hanyou joining together in love. Who officiated yer marriage, half-breed? There aren't many monks who will join a miko and a hanyou in holy matrimony."

Kagome decided to interject. "That is none of your concern, honorable grandfather. We simply are seeking a place to stay tonight."

Inuyasha shoved his Tetsusaiga back into the scabbard and listened to the old man tell Kagome the directions to the village inn. He also said something about the all the villagers taking a pilgrimage to the sacret Mount Hakurei, but he was too old and fragile to tag along. The old man claimed that he stayed back to ensure that the village was maintained and taken care of.

 _Sounds like a bowl full of wolf-shit._ Inuyasha couldn't help but scoff, but didn't choose to voice his opinion. _How the hell can this decrepit pile of shit do anything to maintain the damn village?!_ With a stiff bow, Kagome returned her arrows back into her quiver and gripped Inuyasha's left bicep, effectively tugging him in the general direction of where the old man said the village inn was.

The elderly man watched them intently and, as soon as Kagome and Inuyasha turned the corner, he let his shoulders sag. _Do not worry young miko._ _I will save you from this cursed half-demon who has forced you to give him your purity._ His body bubbled and morphed, changing the old man in to a creature that didn't resemble anything human. Bearing his fangs, the demonic creature encased in wispy black smoke let out a breath of acrid air before running in the opposite direction of where Kagome and Inuyasha had headed.

_.xx._

The village inn was deserted, as Inuyasha and Kagome expected, so they sought out the largest and loftiest room. It looked to be a room that newly married couples would rendezvous in, but nothing fazed Inuyasha and Kagome anymore, so they decided to get comfortable. Inuyasha shrugged off his outer haori as soon as they placed their weapons and Kagome's backpack down, and gave it to Kagome to wear.

She looked at him quizzically. "In case something happens." He said as he reattached Tetsusaiga's scabbard to his hip. "And to keep you warm." He added as an afterthought and Kagome fought to hide her blush. "I have a really shitty feeling about this village… and the shitty feeling keeps getting shittier and shittier." Unceremoniously, Inuyasha sat down as Kagome fluffed up the pillow that lay on the single futon. "Why are we staying here?"

"Because I have a bad feeling and we never ignore my bad feelings. I'm sure somebody is in trouble and I want to know what's going on." Kagome muttered as she began to dig through her backpack to find her yukata for sleeping. Inuyasha snorted and leaned his head back against the wall adjacent to the bamboo door. He closed his eyes and allowed his shoulders to sag; the chill of the night air was beginning to creep up on him, he was always used to the warmth and comfort of his red fire rat haori but his body would be able to sustain any damage it took.

Kagome, however, wasn't so lucky.

 _And I have a **really** bad feeling_.

He sensed no life force in the village. He didn't even sense _residual_ life force. If the villagers were indeed on a pilgrimage, he would've sensed their _presence_ in the village at least. But he didn't. He didn't even scent a human.

"Ahh," Kagome pulled out a pale yellow yukata. "Found it. Let me go change real quick—"

"No," Inuyasha grunted as he stood up. "Something is up with this village and you are not leaving my circle of smell." Inuyasha pushed the bamboo door open. "Change here, I'll be right outside. In the _highly_ unlikely event something attacks you, scream bloody murder."

Though taken aback, Kagome could do nothing but nod. She knew he was right, and she knew never to question his gut feeling. Nine times out of ten, his gut was on the mark.

"Fine." She replied as he shut the door behind him. Inuyasha leaned against the door, his one leg crossed over the other and his hands behind the back of his head. His ears occasionally tweaked at the soft sounds of Kagome changing in the room just behind him. Though his inner demon roared to pounce at Kagome – as Inuyasha was a virile young man, regardless of his blood –, he was quick to turn his attention away from the sound. Subconsciously, he brought his right hand down to grip the rusty hilt of his Tetsusaiga.

He didn't know when he would need it to protect Kagome—that was the only thought that ever went through his mind.

 _Protect Kagome_.

A mantra that all three of his forms chanted: ningen, hanyou, youkai.

Protect Kagome. Don't let her get hurt at any cost.

Protect Kagome…

And die trying.

_.xx._

The sun had long set, yet the eerie feeling that plagued Inuyasha and Kagome had yet to disappear. Neither were going to be able to sleep, so they decided to work out a plan as to what they were going to do. Kagome sat on the futon, Inuyasha's haori wrapped around her, while Inuyasha sat beside the door with Tetsusaiga erect before him. His hands were gripping the body of the scabbard while his forehead rested against the hilt.

"I think we should just leave, Kagome." He finally said, catching her off guard.

"What?! But we don't know what's going on."

"Exactly." His eyes flickered to catch hers. "We _don't_ know. There's no shard involved so I'll be damned that I let you get hurt over absolutely nothing. Hell, I'm damned when you get hurt over a shard regardless!"

Despite what he said, his sentiment touched her.

"But what if there are people in trouble?" She tried to argue back but Inuyasha shook his head.

"There aren't. I can't sense _any_ life force, not even the lingering _scent_ of a human."

Kagome chewed on her bottom lip. "… what about the old man?"

Inuyasha was stumped. He raised his head from its resting position on the Tetsusaiga and gawked at Kagome. "I don't… recall… sensing anything…"

Kagome frowned. "Neither do I…"

"Fuck it," Inuyasha made a move to get up, "we're out of h—"

Inuyasha swallowed his words as a sudden sharp pain stabbed at his chest. Stumbling back against the wall and dropping down to his knees, he clutched his white inner haori, right above his chest, and gasped for air. Kagome sprung to her feet as soon as the first signs of distress were shown, and raced over to Inuyasha, inadvertently pushing the Tetsusaiga out of the way.

"Inuyasha?! INUYASHA?!" Kagome grabbed his shoulders but it was to no avail; Inuyasha was gasping for air while clawing at his inner haori, trying to rip it off of his torso. Kagome's left hand went to cover his hands while her right hand moved to cup Inuyasha's cheek.

"Kag— _gome…_ " He struggled to say her name before letting out a howl of pain. Kagome, in a wave of panic, ripped his haori open to see if there was anything on his chest, simply because he was trying to tear it off of himself. She prayed there was no parasite latched onto him, draining him of his hanyou life force.

There wasn't anything.

Her fear began to escalate.

"What's wrong?! _Where is it hurting?"_ Kagome cupped his face, willing him to look at her. Beads of sweat pooled at his hairline and his eyes were squeezed shut. The colour on his face began to drain and Kagome's panic began rising.

" _Inuyasha_!" She said urgently, tightening her hold on his cheeks. Her right thumb was stroking his cheek, hoping that the caress would snap him out of his pain. _What do I do?! What the hell do I do?!_

Weakly, Inuyasha opened his eyes. "Kagome—"

A loud bang was heard outside of the inn and, almost immediately, an explosion rocked the building, causing Kagome to hurtle across the room. The only reason Kagome even stopped her trajectory was because she collided with the wall opposite of the crash. The Tetsusaiga fell beside her with a loud _clang._

Inuyasha, however, wasn't anywhere to be seen.

A shadowy figured, enveloped in grey smoke with wispy tendrils snaking out from its body, stalked in to the room. "I've come to eradicate this halfling and free you from your prison, _miko_."

* * *


	2. A Demon With No Aura

* * *

A loud bang was heard outside of the inn and, almost immediately, an explosion rocked the building, causing Kagome to hurtle across the room. The only reason Kagome even stopped her trajectory was because she collided with the wall opposite of the crash. The Tetsusaiga fell beside her with a loud _clang._

Inuyasha, however, wasn't anywhere to be seen.

A shadowy figured, enveloped in grey smoke with wispy tendrils snaking out from its body, stalked in to the room. "I've come to eradicate this halfling and free you from your prison, _miko_."

The pain that shot through Kagome's left arm was near unbearable, but was used to pain. The last three years had put her in so many hellish situations that Kagome was concerned when she _wasn't_ staring death right in its eyes. With great struggle, Kagome managed to sit herself up with her right arm and painfully reached over to grab the Tetsusaiga with her left.

 _I think I broke my arm._ She thought tearfully, but that wasn't what was important to her. She would get over the pain… she _always_ got over the pain when Inuyasha's life was potentially in danger. The large entity that shattered the inn began floating towards her, the wispy tendrils gravitating in Kagome's direction. Kagome pulled Tetsusaiga out with her right arm and held it in front of her while scanning the room for Inuyasha as well as her bow and arrows.

 _Where is he?!_ Kagome thought, panicked. _He was just there—and I have the Tetsusaiga…_ Her bow and arrows were nowhere to be seen either, which meant that Kagome was defenceless with Inuyasha's untransformed rusty sword. The only thing she had going for her was that the sword had the capability to ward off any demon, but she wasn't too sure how long it could keep _that_ up.

"INUYASHA!" Kagome screamed, hoping that the sound of her voice would get to him. Throughout her many years of travelling, she knew he was always there for her when she needed him the most. At that moment, though, she was more worried about _him_. Inuyasha was in grave pain before the monster attacked and Kagome didn't care if _she_ got hurt, she wanted to know where _he_ was.

However, unlike every other time, screaming his name proved to be pointless. He didn't respond.

He didn't show.

 _Please be alive!_ Kagome managed to get to her feet and swing the Tetsusaiga with no aim, effectively knocking the demon back and sunning him for long enough to scramble out of the shattered village inn. _Where is he?!_ Kagome tried to sense his aura, but it wasn't working… she couldn't feel his presence. In fact, she couldn't even feel the aura of the demon that attacked her.

_Something isn't adding up._

With her left arm pressed tightly against her body and Tetsusaiga's scabbard tucked under her left arm, Kagome clutched the blade with her right hand and sprinted as fast as she could towards the exit of the village. Something was wrong with the village, she knew it, and she needed to remove herself from the vicinity before she could begin to figure out what to do—she needed to be safe before she could save Inuyasha. It did nobody any good if she got hurt.

Also, becoming bait for the demon meant that it wouldn't be looking for Inuyasha.

Which meant that he would be safe… and that was all that mattered to Kagome.

"Come back here, _miko_! Your halfling mate is gone, and now it is your turn to be _purified_."

Kagome glanced over her shoulder and stumbled to her knees, screaming when she saw a single purple eyeball just inches from her. A smoky tendril had shot out of the body of the demon and held onto the eyeball protectively. "Stay **away from me**!" Kagome swung the Tetsusaiga and it impacted the side of the eyeball. A bone chilling shriek reverberated through the demon and the tendril recoiled back with the eyeball, pulling it into the body of the demon.

"Now you've made me angry."

Eyes widening in horror, Kagome was frozen sitting on the ground as she saw two mouths begin to appear on the body of the demon along with the purple eyeball. One mouth licked its lips and the other smirked maliciously. The purple eyeball just above the two mouths blinked. The demon was something unlike anything Kagome had ever seen. Her fear had her frozen and her mind could only think of one thing: _Please be alive, Inuyasha. Please be safe… Please, I want this demon to kill **me** and forget about Inuyasha._

Kagome was ready to die for Inuyasha. She always was…

"I'm going to _kill yo_ —"

The demon's words were cut short and both mouths were hanging open. The purple eye rolled to the back of its torso. Kagome watched in horror as a giant hole exploded through the core of the demon, its innards flying everywhere. Through the hole emerged the one person that she would've sold her soul to the devil to see—

"INUYASHA!"

Except he was full demon.

Kagome had expected as much since she was the one clutching onto his Tetsusaiga, but she wasn't afraid. Though his full demon couldn't tell good from evil, she _knew_ in her heart that he wouldn't hurt her. It was something he had proven time and time again; Inuyasha would kill _anybody_ that crossed his path, but he wouldn't hurt a single strand of Kagome's hair.

" **Never** ," his voice was lethal and gravelly, " **touch her.** " Fingers flexed, Inuyasha reared his hand and slashed through the demon with a mighty _senkon tessou_. With a cloud of smoke, the demon began to evaporate in to the air and the village was, subsequently, encompassed by a bright light. Kagome looked to her left and then to her right to see bodies of people appearing out of thin air, all looking dazed and confused.

_What… is going on?_

Her attention was quickly taken off of the suddenly appearing people and onto the murderous looking youkai standing before her. His eyes were bloodshot and the purple _Daiyoukai_ marks on his cheeks were stark, proving his royal lineage and bloodline right to the Western Lands. Dropping to his knees so that the was eye-level with Kagome, Inuyasha brought his left hand up and gently, which thoroughly surprised Kagome, cupped her cheek.

"Are you hurt?" His voice was strained. Kagome knew he was exercising an inordinate amount of willpower to remain in control. _I don't think I've ever heard him have a conversation while in youkai form._ Kagome mused while ushering his sword to him.

"I'm okay." She whispered. "Here. Take this."

The youkai's eyes flickered to the sword and back up to Kagome's eyes.

 _Take the sword,_ his human blood roared, _take the sword and help her. Can't you see she's in pain?_

The youkai's eyes travelled to her left arm and saw that it was caked with blood. It also looked like it wasn't sitting right… like it was… **broken**. His blood began to boil; _if that fucking demon wasn't dead, I'd kill him thrice over._ His youkai's anger echoed through his body, but his human blood kept him in control for as long as it could.

_You need to control your anger. Kagome needs you!_

Hearing that Kagome _needed_ him brought the youkai back to his senses and he quickly retrieved the outstretched Tetsusaiga. Within _seconds_ , his demonic blood receded and the hanyou was back, eyes shining with worry. Kagome let out a sigh of relief and allowed her shoulders to sag which, inadvertently, sent a fiery shot of pain to pulsate through her left arm.

"Crap…"

"Kagome!" Inuyasha slid his left arm around her back to support her. Kagome turned her body just slightly so that there was no pressure on her left arm, the scabbard however, was still tucked tightly in her grip. "Are you stupid? Why did you think you could take him on?!"

"I didn't think that." Kagome revealed softly as her eyes searched Inuyasha's. He didn't look like how did just before the attack, where it seemed as if the air was sucked out of his lungs. "I was trying to get it away from you…" Her eyes locked with his and her worry was palpable. "You were in pain before it attacked… all I was thinking of how to save _you_."

"Stupid girl…" Inuyasha brought his right arm over so that he could gently pull Kagome into an embrace. "Protecting you is _my_ job."

Tears welled in Kagome's eyes and she snapped them shut. _Thank you, Inuyasha…_

_.xx._

Kagome's arm was resting in a makeshift sling with a wooden board and cloth being used to be a temporary cast. The duo was sitting in the village leader's hut surrounded by some of the village men and the headman himself. Kagome was sipping on some fragrant jasmine tea while Inuyasha just sat, glowering.

"I wish to offer you two my deepest gratitude." The headman bowed his head. His hands were on his knees and his forehead was inches away from the floor, expressing great respect and honour. "The demon," he spoke, his head still lowered, "showed up at the village some time ago and one by one, my villagers began disappearing."

"We didn't sense any demonic aura from it." Kagome revealed.

After the people of the village reappeared, the headman quickly sought out Kagome and Inuyasha at the village sanatorium and wished for their audience. They told him that they were the shard hunters of lore that were seeking out Naraku to destroy him completely and that their travels had brought them to the village.

"Our village monk and priestess didn't sense anything from it either." The headman revealed. "We don't know what kind of demon it was but… it's gone now, thanks to you both. If there is anything you require from us, please let us know. We are eternally in your debt!"

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha whose eyes flickered to her and back at the bowing headman.

"Your villagers have just returned so we won't ask for anything." Inuyasha stood up and offered Kagome his arm which she took gladly, helping herself stand up. The headman rose from his bowing position and gawked at the shard hunters. Inuyasha looked down at the man and wrapped an arm around Kagome's waist, pulling her close to him to show everybody present in the room that _she_ belonged to _him_ and was _his alone_ to protect.

"But if we ever have to pass through, we expect a roof over our heads and food in our bellies at _no cost_."

The headman nodded vigorously. "We can arrange that!"

"Good. Now, we're leaving." Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's yellow backpack (which survived the onslaught, as Inuyasha predicted), and ushered her to follow him. Kagome glanced over her shoulder and smiled gently at the headman before quickly walking to catch up with her half-demon companion.

Despite having a rough exterior, he truly was a gentle soul.

_.xx._

"We're going to Kouga's den." Inuyasha revealed as they left the threshold of the village with a crowd of villagers seeing them off. "I need him to get somebody to look at your arm before we continue our journey." Inuyasha's eyes travelled over to Kagome who was walking in tandem beside him. "I would've liked to take you to your time, but the well is too far off and we need somebody skilled to take a look at you immediately. That village healer was borderline pathetic. No. Not borderline, he _is_ pathetic. _Keh!_ "

Kagome smiled at him and nodded. "Yeah, I think I can agree with you on this."

Inuyasha could only roll his eyes. " _Keh_! You make it seem like it's _so_ rare that you agree with me."

"Not really commonplace for you to say something that I can agree with."

"Fine," Inuyasha crossed his arms and Kagome tried her damnedest not to laugh. He looked hysterical: garbed in his haori and hakama with a stark yellow backpack... he seemed extremely out of place in his own era. "Then I supposed you won't agree with me when I suggest we set up camp near a hot spring shortly."

Kagome's eyes widened, ever so slightly. After the group disbanded she hardly ever asked to stop by a hot spring, so hearing Inuyasha say they _could_ was a rare treat. She needed to play her cards right, though. While trying to maintain an indifferent façade, Kagome shrugged her right shoulder. "Nah, I don't think I will agree. We need to get to Kouga's as soon as possible…" Kagome tried not to peek over at Inuyasha. "We can't afford to let your shard detector's arm heal wrongly, now can we?"

"No, we can't, so quit your bullshitting and keep walking." Inuyasha voice was tight and gruff. He caught on to her bluff. "There's a fucking hot spring not too far ahead. We'll camp for a bit before we go to Kouga's den. I'll carry you there, it'll be faster."

Being indifferent proved to be a difficult feat. Kagome let out a squeal of happiness and Inuyasha bit his cheek to stop himself from smiling. It always warmed his soul to see Kagome so happy, and it was always the smallest things that brought her joy…

 _You could do little things for her more often,_ his demon blood chided, _she would prove to be a strong mate that gives us equally strong pups._

Inuyasha's human blood blanched. _Shut **up**! We are not thinking of mating Kagome._

Being a half-demon meant that Inuyasha's two bloods were always at each other: his demon blood wanted to follow the youkai traditions while his human blood was more empathetic to human emotion. It was one of the big reasons why he was always so pissed off; he was confused with what course of action he needed to take at any given moment. Did he react like a youkai or respond as a human?

Although he hated it, Kagome always told him he had the best of both worlds. _How the hell is being half-blooded lucky in any way?!_ He always thought, but he knew in his soul that Kagome cared for him _because_ he was a half-demon. If he was anything else, pure youkai or pure human, he didn't know if she would care for him as fiercely as she did.

"So," Kagome recovered from her little bout of excitement and looked over at Inuyasha in all seriousness. "Are we going to tackle the elephant in the room?"

Frowning, Inuyasha looked around. "I don't see an elephant…? I actually don't think we've _ever_ encountered an elephant, Kagome."

"It's an idiom, you idiot. Kagome snorted. "It means are we going to talk about the most awkwardly obvious thing right now…"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "And that is…?"

"What caused you so much pain before that demon attacked?"

Inuyasha's ears drooped. "Ahh, that. First, that has nothing to do with an elephant, and second it was probably part of the demon's powers."

Kagome frowned and chose to ignore his former elephant quip. "I somehow don't think—"

"Wench," Inuyasha cut her off, "it's never happened before. Now, all of a sudden, we are in a possessed village and I'm in excruciating pain. It's too coincidental to not be related! They _are_ linked and that's probably what it was… As soon as you left the inn with the demon, I was able to breathe again."

Kagome studied him, wondering if he was lying but couldn't tell. _Maybe he's right…_

"I guess."

"Yes, _you guess._ Now, stop slowing down and keep your pace up. The faster we get to Kouga's today, the faster we can get your arm looked at." It truly touched Kagome how much he cared, and it wasn't often that he showed it. By even _suggesting_ that he was willing to swallow his pride and venture in to Kouga's territory was enough to let Kagome know just how much he cared about her.

It hurt her heart though, knowing they couldn't ever be together that way, but being able to be near him and be somebody he cared so deeply for made her happy all the same.

_.xx._

True to Inuyasha's words, there was a hot spring along their route and they came across it just in time for lunch. Kagome, with a little bit of help from Inuyasha, was able to loosen her yukata and went for a short dip while Inuyasha left to catch their lunch. With great difficulty, Kagome was able to strip out of her yukata and slowly lower herself into the hot spring. Because she didn't want to get her left arm wet (there were still the remnants of a medicinal herb rub on her arm designed to numb her pain), she found a low enough boulder that allowed her to sit waist deep in the springs. Lazily, she threw her yukata over her torso to hide her exposed chest.

Her mind was abuzz yet blank at the same time; Kagome didn't know what to think about, didn't know how to feel, and didn't know what to do! She decided not to think about anything and simply rest her body and mind. Closing her eyes, she lowered her head to rest on her right arm that was leaned against a higher boulder beside her. Exhaustion was kicking in and before Kagome knew it, she had fallen into a light slumber.

_.xx._

Inuyasha returned with a few bunnies and some berries to find that Kagome was still at the hot springs. He dropped his game near their camp and slowly went to where he scented Kagome only to find her asleep at the hot spring, completely in the nude. His heart thudded against his chest as he saw her glistening body half submerged in the hot spring; her hair cascaded down her back and her left arm was held tightly against her while her head rested on her right.

She looked so peaceful and at ease… an expression he hardly ever got to see on his companion's face. As quiet as a fox (well, dog, in his case), Inuyasha crept over to Kagome and gently tugged the yukata off of her lap and wrapped it around her body. Seeing her naked caused a fire to rage in his loins, but he wasn't going to act on it.

He was a young man in his prime, it was only natural that he wanted to sink his fangs into Kagome… she was a young and beautiful woman that had stuck with him for three long years… _It's only natural I want to couple with her, right?_ But was it normal that his heart pounded against his chest whenever he was near her? Was it normal that _no other woman_ made him feel the way Kagome did? Was it normal to not feel remotely attracted to Sango's naked body, but to feel like his loins were on fire when he saw Kagome's?

_Is any of this shit normal?!_

Ensuring Kagome was covered, he gently pulled her out of the hot spring and carried her back to the camp. Kagome moaned slightly, but otherwise didn't stir. He placed her next to the fire and shrugged his haori off to cover her with it; her yukata was a little damp and he didn't want Kagome catching a cold. _She has to be exhausted to not wake up with all this movement_ , Inuyasha thought as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and watched her sleep for a brief moment.

After Inuyasha was sure his companion was comfortable, he began to work on skinning and gutting the rabbits. By the time Kagome woke up, he would have their lunch ready for her to eat. The quicker his preparations were done, the quicker lunch would be served and the quicker they'd be able to leave for Kouga's den.

_.xx._

Kagome woke up, her brain a mush and her senses groggy. She felt the warm radiance of the fire pit and let out a loud breath of air. "Inuyasha…" She called her voice crackling with dehydration. In a heartbeat, Inuyasha's face was peering down at her, his hand extended out for her good hand to grasp. Sitting up, Inuyasha repositioned his haori so that she was covered and moved to offer her a bunny leg and a small gourd of water.

"Hungry?"

"How long have I been out for?" Kagome groaned before downing all the water that was in the gourd. She didn't realize how thirsty she was.

"Not long," Inuyasha shrugged. "Just long enough for me to make lunch." He eyed her partially exposed skin. "Do you need help getting dressed?"

Kagome groaned and looked down at her partially naked body. She tried to fight the heat of her blush, she didn't want Inuyasha to see that his gaze made her blood roar. It was hard enough to _hide_ the scent of her feelings. "It's times like this where I wish Sango was still around."

" _Keh_ … it's nothing I've never seen before, wench."

Kagome scowled. "If I didn't need you to do basic necessary tasks for me, I would've made sure you were in an Inuyasha-crater."

Grinning stupidly, Inuyasha slowly chewed on his bunny. "Does the all-mighty _miko_ need to rely on this lowly _hanyou_?"

"You aren't lowly and I've always relied on you, idiot." She muttered as she bit in to her bunny leg. "But to rely on you to help me get _dressed_?! You better keep your hands to yourself."

" _Keh_ , as if I'd want to _touch_ you."

"What?! Am I not desirable?!"

Inuyasha's eyes bugged and he gawked at Kagome. "Uhhhh…"

 _There. Is. No. Right. Answer._ His mind roared at him and he could do nothing but open and close his mouth like a fish out of water. His erratic senses told him to just say NO and be done with it, but the other side of him that knew Kagome's personality like the back of his hand said that no matter _what_ he told her, he was in trouble.

"What the fuck can I say that won't be a reason for you to make a me-shaped crater?" Inuyasha finally decided to ask and Kagome giggled.

"It seems that you're tangoing with diplomacy." Kagome watched as Inuyasha's scowl deepened. "Fine, no Inuyasha- crater. Just help me get dressed, will you?"

Inuyasha put his bunny meat down and stood up. "Yeah, yeah, come on let's get itty bitty Kagome all dressed up—AHH!"

" _Osuwari_."

_.xx._

Kagome was glaring at an annoyed Inuyasha as he helped her in to her yukata. He was irritated that she _sat_ him despite saying she wasn't going to, and she was annoyed that he had the audacity to make fun of her.

"I _broke_ my _arm_ for _you_." She tried to argue but he wasn't having any of it.

"Bullshit. You broke your arm when that demon caused the explosion."

Kagome bit her lower lip. "… I'd break my arm for you though, if I had to!"

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha picked up her backpack and slung it onto his shoulder before leaning down to scoop Kagome up bridal style. With her broken arm, it would be impossible for her to ride on his back, so he had to opt with carrying her bridal style instead. It would be harder to fight off surprise demon attacks, but at least she wouldn't be in pain.

Her comfort was his main priority. Second to her life, of course.

"I know you would, but I'll always protect you so don't go thinking you're gonna have to break your bones for me, understood?"

"Yeah yeah…" Kagome muttered as Inuyasha leapt into the trees and began his run towards Kouga's den. "You're the all-mighty hanyou that can protect himself and Kagome."

"I am and I can." Inuyasha muttered as he soared in to the sky and glided for as long as he could before touching down on a branch, only to leap up again. "As long as I have fight left in me, I will."

Kagome's heart pounded against her chest as she gaped up at him. _Inuyasha…_

It was one of the rare times where she didn't mask her feelings for him. She didn't think to; she was just so overwhelmed with his words. An assault of the essence of pure and unhindered love filled Inuyasha's nose and his heart raced in his chest— _Kagome…_

He knew she cared for him. He cared for her too…

But a woman like Kagome would never be happy with a hanyou like Inuyasha.

* * *

 


	3. True Meaning of Half-Breed

* * *

It felt like Inuyasha approached the foot of Kouga's mountains in a heartbeat. The scent of wolf was gut wrenchingly disgusting, but Inuyasha tried to ignore it; his prime intention was to get Kagome to Kouga's tribe healer and to ensure that her arm was taken care of. Everything else, his animosity with Kouga, his hatred for the wolves, the shards… Naraku…, could wait. Kagome was his primary concern, above anybody and anything else in the entire world.

"OI, WOLF SHIT!"

Inuyasha's voice echoed throughout the mountainous region, causing a few crows to fly off while cawing loudly. Kagome glowered at Inuyasha the best she could, but with the medicinal herbs wearing off, making any expression, other than _writhing in pain,_ was an extremely difficult feat.

No sooner did the echo of Inuyasha's voice stop, the devil himself and his two associates appeared. Kouga was sprinting at full speed towards the duo with his brethren, Ginta and Hakkaku, chasing the wake of Kouga's tornado. As gently as Inuyasha could, he placed Kagome down but kept an arm wrapped around her shoulder. Kagome was unable to determine whether that was done from Inuyasha's inability to turn off his alpha-male personality, or if he genuinely wanted to offer her comfort.

"Dog shit— _what the hell happened to Kagome_?!" Kouga screeched to a halt and looked at Kagome with wide eyes and concern. Inuyasha scowled and tugged Kagome closer in to his side.

"That's why we're here. We need your healer."

Kouga's eyes flickered to Inuyasha and in a split second, realization dawned to him. It took Inuyasha a great deal of effort to swallow his pride to approach Kouga, and the wolf-demon knew it. With a slow nod, Kouga looked over his shoulder to glance at Ginta and Hakkaku.

"Go back to the cave and prepare Ryouga."

Without hesitation, Ginta and Hakkaku whirled on their heels and began racing back to the cave that they domiciled. Kouga turned his attention back to a glaring Inuyasha and a weakened Kagome. _What the hell happened to her?!_ It was unlike Inuyasha to let Kagome get hurt so badly; he cared very much for the human girl. Kouga, as unfortunate as he felt that the fact was, could also attest to that.

"Do you want to carry her?" Kouga had to play his cards right. He knew, just based on Inuyasha's scent, that he was tethering between reality and his demon-blood. There was an animalistic scent to him, and Kouga knew that if he said the wrong thing it could be what tipped the scale for Inuyasha's sanity. "If I carry her, it'll be faster."

Inuyasha looked down at Kagome in time to see her wince. With a defeated sigh he looked back up at Kouga. "You take her. I'll be right behind."

Kouga nodded, knowing better than to poke fun at his unlikely comrade. Approaching the duo, Kouga moved to pick Kagome up bridal style and Inuyasha side stepped just in time. Ensuring that Kagome was securely held, Kouga looked over at Inuyasha. "Try to keep up, otherwise follow her scent."

In a domain that was dominated by the stench of wolf, Kouga knew that Kagome's scent would stand out to Inuyasha.

" _Go_." Inuyasha snarled and, with the blink of an eye, Kouga was gone. Cursing under his breath, Inuyasha inhaled deeply to catch the trail of Kagome's scent. Without missing a beat, he began sprinting— _I've swallowed my pride in more ways than one._ But he didn't care. It didn't matter. Kagome's health and safety was first…

And that nagging little pain in his chest could wait.

What he felt in the village wasn't linked to the demon… but Inuyasha wasn't going to tell Kagome that, not when she was in excruciating pain.

That pain that sucked the air out of his lungs was a different kind of pain. It was unlike anything he had ever suffered before… and as much as he hated to admit it, it made him just a little afraid.

Not because he could die.

Because if he _did_ die, nobody would be around to protect his Kagome.

_.xx._

Back against the cold cave wall, Inuyasha had his arms shoved in his haori sleeves and kept his eyes closed. Every so often, his ears would twitch but he didn't react to anything else otherwise. Behind a curtain, in another part of the intricate cavern system Kouga created, was Kagome and the Wolf Tribe healer, Ryouga. Lingering amongst the wretched wolf smell was Kagome's intoxicating scent and the pungent odour of a balm the healer was using.

Inuyasha heard Kagome hiss in pain, but didn't sense fear from her, so he stayed put.

"The dog refuses to tell me how Kagome got hurt." Inuyasha heard Kouga mumble to Ginta and Hakkaku not too far off. "Her arm is in a mangy state."

Inuyasha's blood began to boil. Was she hiding the true extent of her pain?

"Ryouga's bandaged her well though," Inuyasha heard Ginta proclaim. "That dirty cast is off and her arm is now wrapped properly."

"Tell Ryouga to prepare excess medicine so we can give it to Kagome and Inuyasha when they leave." Kouga instructed and Inuyasha heard Hakkaku take off.

 _The wolf has some semblance of sense._ Inuyasha thought sarcastically. Breathing in deeply, Inuyasha tried to ignore the growing pain in his chest. It was akin to the pain he felt at the inn in the deserted village—but it would pass. _It has to pass, before Kagome finds out about it._ Inuyasha had no intention of telling her.

It was his job to take care of her.

Not the other way around.

"Hey, shit-for-brains," Kouga kicked Inuyasha's side. The half-demon scrambled to his feet and took a fighting stance.

"How the hell did you sneak up on me?!"

"You were day dreaming, idiot. How the fuck did you not sense me approach?!"

"The dirty smell of wolf is everywhere." Inuyasha growled. "Of course I couldn't scent you from the rest of your tribe!"

"You're losing your touch, dog-shit."

"Come say that to my face!"

"I am fucking saying it to your face!"

Inuyasha and Kouga were touching foreheads, pure anger radiating from the both of them. Kouga's tribe surrounded them, watching with keen interest. They wanted to see if their honourable leader would pummel the half dog-demon. Kouga reared his fist and was ready to smash Inuyasha's skull in but a cold _smack_ to the back of his head stopped him.

He turned around, enraged that somebody had the gall to lay their hand on him. "Who the hell— _oh_! Kagome!"

Kagome was glaring daggers at Kouga, a metal rod in her right hand. _Where the hell did **that** come from?!_ Kouga thought as he rubbed the spot that Kagome had hit.

"If I could subdue you like Inuyasha, I would. Why are you bullying him?" Kagome dropped the metal rod when she saw Kouga lower his eyes in shame.

Inuyasha's chest swelled with pride. For _once_ the wench wasn't punishing him! His alpha-ego skyrocketed, but he wouldn't let Kagome in on that little fact.

"He started it!"

"I saw you kick him, Kouga." Kagome's eyes narrowed. "He was minding his own business. _Anyway_ , thank you for the treatment. How would you like Inuyasha and I to repay you?"

Kouga spluttered. He wasn't anticipating Kagome to become so formal. She always sided with _him_. "Umm… uhh… Kagome…"

Inuyasha pushed Kouga to the side and approached Kagome, his eyes searching hers. "You sure you're okay? You don't need anything else? You don't want to... rest here for the night?" Inuyasha didn't want to spend a second longer in Kouga's territory, but he didn't want Kagome to exert herself for his male-ego.

She shook her head. "No. Ryouga gave me herbs… it should last us the journey back to Goshinboku Village…"

 _After which she can go to her time for modern Japan treatment._ Inuyasha finished her sentence in his mind.

"We can head out now." Kagome said.

With a curt nod, Inuyasha looked back at a devastated Kouga. He was still coming to terms with Kagome reprimanding _him_ and not Inuyasha. "Hey, wolf-shit."

Kouga scowled. "What?!"

Inuyasha smirked. "Thanks."

Kouga was stunned. He watched as Inuyasha picked up Kagome's yellow backpack and helped escort her out of the cave. He never thought, in his lifetime, that Inuyasha would _actually_ thank him outright. Sure, his unlikely comrade could _feel_ appreciation, but Kouga never thought he'd actually voice it. Shoulders sagging dejectedly, Kouga couldn't help but laugh.

"Keep her safe, ya'hear!" He called out. "Or else I _will_ take her from you!"

Kouga watched as Inuyasha raised his left arm in the air and held out two fingers in a short wave. Subtly rolling his eyes, Kouga turned back to his tribe. "What're you all waiting for?! Get on with your day!"

Awoken from their stupor, his tribe hurriedly continued with the tasks they were doing before the midday interruption. Kouga headed to his room with every intention of sleeping the day away.

 _Stupid dog-shit_.

But, even still, Kouga could feel nothing but respect for the idiot dog demon.

_.xx._

"You should've been the bigger man and not engage in an argument." Kagome began saying as she and Inuyasha exited the caves and began following the worn out dusty path that wound through Feudal Japan. The pride he felt when Kagome reprimanded Kouga was immediately squashed and Inuyasha reared his anger onto his partner.

"I did absolutely _nothing_ and you know it!"

"You should've just ignored him." Kagome chided. "You know he gets a rise out of riling you up."

" _Keh_!" Inuyasha crossed his arms stubbornly. "I don't care what the hell _rises_ him. He shouldn't have kicked me like that." Inuyasha had his head turned away from Kagome with his nose in the air. She could simply watch in amusement and, unintentionally, she giggled.

Inuyasha turned back to scowl at her. "What's so funny?!"

"Nothing." Kagome smiled. "Nothing at all… where to now?" She tried to steer the conversation off of the topic of Inuyasha and Kouga. She _did_ see Kouga kick Inuyasha first, and she did see him retaliate in anger… but she couldn't get mad at him. How could she? He swallowed his pride for _her_ … for her wellbeing; she couldn't punish him even if she wanted to.

 _Besides, I know how much it bothers him when I_ osuwari _him in front of others_. His ego, pride, and manhood plummet along with him whenever Kagome uttered his subjugation spell. That fact wasn't lost on her, and because of that she tried to keep the public _osuwari_ to a minimum.

"We head back to Goshinboku Village," Inuyasha dropped his crossed arms and moved them to behind his head, his fingers interlacing. "Gotta get you back to your time before the medicine wears off."

"We can go slowly," Kagome offered. "Ryouga's given me enough balm to last a while. We can try to scout some shards?"

" _Keh_ ," Inuyasha snorted. "Not a chance. We're going there as soon as possible—you're hurt and getting you fixed is my priority. We've been after the shards for three years, what're a few more days?"

Kagome's heart warmed and, for the second time in a span of twenty four hours, she didn't hide her overflowing feelings for him. Inuyasha's nose was assaulted with her unmasked love and his heart began pounding. It wasn't lost to him that she _cared_ for him more than just a friend… he knew that she harboured some feelings for him, but she masked it very well. What he wasn't sure of was _why_ she hid it. _Is it because she doesn't want a hanyou lover?_ That had to be the reason… why else would she hide her true emotions?

On the rare occasions that she didn't mask her feelings, though, the sweet smell of her feelings would intoxicate Inuyasha. All he wanted to do was pin her against a tree and ram himself—

"INUYASHA!"

Without warning, Inuyasha dropped to his knees, his hand clenching in front of his haori. The sensation from the deserted village… the pain… the lack of air… it was all returning. His ears struggled to tweak, struggling to find where Kagome's voice was coming from.

_Kagome…_

He tried to say her name, but it merely echoed in his mind. His vision was beginning to fade and the pain stretched out to all of his appendages, consuming his very essence. Inuyasha didn't know when his eyes closed and when air stopped passing through his lungs…

_I can't… die…_

_I can't… leave… Kagome…_

A snarl reverberated through his core. ' **Release me…'** His demon blood began resonating through his entire being. ' **Release me. We cannot leave Kagome but you cannot endure this pain as a hanyou.'**

In the darkness of his consciousness, Inuyasha watched his human form and demon form stare him down. Glancing down, he saw that his fingers still had his elongated claws; _I'm still a hanyou_.

'What's happening?' Inuyasha called out, his own voice sounding faraway.

 _'We do not know,'_ his human responded, eyes downcast. The youkai, though, bore his fangs and stretched his claws.

**'Embrace my blood, hanyou. You cannot just leave Kagome in her state! She's hurt!'**

'But…' Inuyasha tried to inhale, but it was to no avail. 'I can't breathe… this pain…'

**'Do not let pain come in the way of protecting Kagome!'**

_'This pain isn't earthly. Please rely on us to help you overcome it…'_ His human whispered, eyes finally coming up to meet his hanyou ochre orbs.

'This… is what it means to be a half-breed.' Inuyasha reveled.

 _'Work with us to find out why we're suffering.'_ His human offered, but his youkai interjected.

**'If you do not wish to easily embrace my blood, then you must work with Kagome. Rely on her. I've told you once! She's a strong woman who will bear us strong pups. Do not forget that.'**

His human and demon forms began disappearing and the darkness was beginning to fade into a heavenly light. Arms outstretched, Inuyasha began racing towards where his two forms were but was too late. His claws slashed through translucent images of himself before the bright light consumed them entirely.

_Inuyasha!_

Inuyasha whirled around to his brightening surroundings. 'Kag… Kagome?!'

_INUYASHA?_

"KAGOME!"

With a gasp, Inuyasha's eyes flew open and immediately snapped to his teary eyed companion. Kagome's was peering down at him, her right hand glowing over his chest. Grunting, Inuyasha slapped Kagome's hand away and tried to sit up.

"Don't… use your powers… on me…" He breathed, finding it hard to speak as his chest was still constricted. "You're… still… hurt…"

With no inhibition, Kagome allowed her tears to spill freely. "You lied!" She threw her good arm around his shoulder and began sobbing into his chest. "You said that the pain had to do with that village!"

Inuyasha said nothing. He simply brought his arm around Kagome's waist and allowed her to hug him. He allowed her warmth to seep into his pores, knowing that such a feeling was forbidden for a half-breed such as himself. No matter how much his two bloods told him to rely on Kagome, he couldn't. He protected _her_ and that was the end of that.

"It's… probably… residual pain."

The tightening in his chest was beginning to loosen. Kagome pulled back just enough to look him square in the eyes.

"You're lying to me." She proclaimed. "This isn't from the village. What's happening?"

"Nothing." He couldn't look her in the eyes, he had to look away and that enraged Kagome.

"You're hiding something from me?"

" _Keh_!" He gently pushed Kagome off of him and stood up. Without warning, he leaned forward and hoisted Kagome onto her feet before taking a step back. "It's nothing. Don't worry about me—let's get back to Goshinboku Village—"

"No."

Kagome cut him off with a stern and final tone. Eyes narrow, Inuyasha peered at Kagome with mild annoyance. "No?"

Kagome stood her ground. "No. I am not going back to the village. Let's route to Mount Hakurei."

"Are you out of your mind?! You need a doctor in _your_ time to check out your arm."

"Are you going to let a healer look in to what's happening to you?" Her tone matched his.

"There's **nothing** wrong with me!"

"You've had two episodes, something is wrong!"

"Kagome!"

"Inuyasha!"

They both glowered at each other as time stood still. Her eyes were ablaze but his weren't in any different of a state. The tension between them sizzled to life and the air around them crackled with tense electricity. Neither of the duo wavered, locked in an unblinking staring competition; it was an unspoken agreement: _the first to relent loses._

Kagome's hands fisted and she was ready to hurl unnecessary angry words at him, but was caught off guard when Inuyasha whirled around and hid her tiny frame behind his body.

"Who's there?" He called out, his right hand gripping the hilt of his Tetsusaiga. Kagome's eyes widened as she tried to peer around him; she hadn't _sensed_ anybody approach them… _but I was also ready to give him a piece of my mind_. Now that Kagome wasn't locked in a battle for superiority with Inuyasha, she sensed what he did.

A demon.

More particularly, a demon that harboured a similar aura to Inuyasha's.

Inuyasha unsheathed his sword and it roared to life, his father's fang pulsating with the raw power Inuyasha exuded.

"Show yourself!"

The bushes that Inuyasha was facing rustled for a moment before giving way to a regal demon. Kagome managed to sneak a peek around Inuyasha and was blown away— _He's wearing clothing that's similar to Sesshomaru's!_ A bone pelt covered the demon's left shoulder but underneath was a yukata designed specifically for combat. His waist length hair was tied back in a loose ponytail and a crescent moon insignia, royal purple in colour, donned his forehead.

"Lord Inuyasha," the demon approached the duo and was quick to drop to his knee, greeting Inuyasha in a low bow. "I'm glad I have found you in good health."

Startled, Inuyasha lowered his sword slightly and Kagome stepped out from behind him.

"Inuyasha… who is he?" Kagome whispered and glanced over at Inuyasha in time to see him shrug.

"Please pardon my intrusion," the demon's eyes were still downcast, "I'm General Daiki, the ruler of the army commanded in the West. I was sent by Lord Sesshomaru. He is wishing to seek an audience with the young Lord."

Inuyasha tensed. "That asshole would _never_ seek an audience with me, you scumbag."

"He warned me that you would be disbelieving," Daiki looked up to lock his eyes with Inuyasha's. "But this has to do with the recent surge of pain that the InuYoukai Tribe is suffering."

Kagome's right hand flew to cover her mouth, effectively hiding the loud gasp that involuntarily sounded from her. Inuyasha looked over at her and held his gaze for a brief moment before turning back to Daiki. He sheathed his sword and crossed his arms. "Rise," he commanded and Daiki did. Though Inuyasha did not practice the etiquette of his royal lineage, it didn't mean he was fully ignorant to how he was expected to act.

"Tell my brother to _fuck off_."

Daiki's eyes widened and Kagome shot her gaze to Inuyasha. "What?! You can't tell Daiki to tell your brother to _fuck off_."

"I can. And I did. Let's go, Kagome." Inuyasha turned around and began stalking off. Kagome looked over at Daiki apologetically before whirling on her heel.

"Inuyasha! Stop this nonsense and get back here!"

He didn't reply and Kagome scowled. _I could_ osuwari _him, but I don't want Daiki to see that…_ Kagome decided to try another method.

"Fine. Go. I'll go with Daiki and speak to Sesshomaru myself!"

Inuyasha froze; his back rigid. He didn't turn, but his voice rang clear like a bell. "You _wouldn't_."

Kagome stopped herself from jumping with glee. _Bingo, I've got him... hook, line, and sinker._ "Watch me."

Furiously, Inuyasha spun around. "You have no idea," he began stomping towards her and Daiki could only watch in awe. He was told by his Lord that the young Lord Inuyasha had a bad temper, but his miko companion was capable of controlling him in ways no other person could. It was quite the experience to see it for himself. "If this piece of shit is a good guy or not. You'd _leave me_ to go off with _him_ to see _my brother_?!"

Kagome stood her ground.

"Yes. Are you going to let me go off with Daiki?"

"Fine." Inuyasha dropped her backpack at her feet and took two steps back, arms crossed stubbornly in front of him. "Go. I guess this dissolves our partnership."

"Fine." Kagome's voice was lethal, but Inuyasha ignored it.

"Fine." He repeated. Kagome leaned forward and grabbed her backpack with her good arm; it was heavier than she remembered but it was probably because of the extra medicines that Ryouga gave her. With great struggle, she slung it over her shoulder and hid the wince when her left arm surged with pain. Inuyasha watched, dumbstruck.

 _Is she… actually going?!_ Subconsciously, Inuyasha took a step towards Kagome.

Kagome turned and looked at Daiki, blatantly ignoring Inuyasha's unintentional movement. "I'm sure Sesshomaru won't mind having only me at audience. I can relay any information given to me back to Inuyasha. So, shall we go?"

Apprehensively, Daiki nodded slowly. "I… suppose… shall I carry my Lady, then?"

"Sure. It'll be faster." Daiki, hesitantly, looked at an enraged Inuyasha but quickly diverted back to the priestess. "I see that your left arm has seen better days, my Lady. Would you prefer I carry you, or you ride my back?"

"Perhaps you should carry me," _If I play my cards right…_ Kagome was hoping Inuyasha fell for her ploy. "It'll be hard to hang on with my bad arm."

Gulping, Daiki nodded. _Lord Sesshomaru has told me that Lord Inuyasha considers this miko to be his mate… oh, Inu no Taisho Touga… please save my damned soul from the wrath of your young son._ Daiki knew, as he was a full-fledged InuYoukai, that dog demons were fiercely protective of their mates. If Lord Inuyasha considered Kagome his woman, then it was just a matter of time before he maimed the great General of the Western Army.

"I can… arrange for that… I suppose I will take that… strange bag of yours…"

Before Daiki could blink, Inuyasha was standing between him and Kagome, eyes flame. "Do not touch her or her belongings." He looked over his shoulder to a stupidly pleased Kagome. "You're a little shit, wench. I know what you did." Without any more words, he yanked the bag off of her and slung it over his shoulder before picking her up bridal style.

"I assume we're going to my brother's castle?" Inuyasha asked a stupefied Daiki. The General could only nod.

 _She was… playing him the entire time?!_ _Perhaps Lord Sesshomaru wasn't exaggerating his claims…_

"I know where it is. You don't need to accompany us." Without waiting for Daiki's response, Inuyasha began sprinting towards his brother's domain. It took Daiki a moment to regain his composure before he sprinted off behind Inuyasha.

 _I suppose Lord Inuyasha does intend to take her as a mate._ Daiki thought, a warm smile gracing his lips. _InuYoukai men do not bend to the whims of women that easily. And I hope he does soon…_

Daiki watched the flash of Inuyasha's red haori jump from tree branch to tree branch.

_Otherwise the InuYoukai Tribe will cease to exist…_

* * *

 


	4. Curse of Heirs

* * *

The sun was setting but Inuyasha didn't slow down his speed. He could faintly smell Daiki behind him and began wondering why his brother would send the General of his army to retrieve him… _Bastard probably thinks I'd kick anybody else's ass…_ _keh! I can probably kick Daiki's ass with my eyes closed._ Shaking those thoughts out of his mind, Inuyasha glanced down at Kagome briefly and took note that she had fallen asleep.

 _Thank Kami-sama, too._ Inuyasha was able to sense that the pain from her arm was beginning to take a toll on her. Sure the medicinal herbs helped _numb_ the pain, but that didn't mean that Kagome was oblivious to it either. Inuyasha's blood roared; he wanted to take her back to the modern era so that she could seek proper medical attention, but the wench was too concerned with _him_.

 _I guess that's the catch twenty-two…_ Souta had taught him the meaning of what catch twenty-two meant… in fact, Souta taught Inuyasha a lot during his brief visits to the modern era. _She cares for me as fiercely as I care for her. Just like how I'd endure all the pain to make sure she's safe, she'd do the same for me._ And she had proven it, time and time again, that her life was meaningless to her if it mean that Inuyasha could continue living his.

"Lord Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha slowed to a halt and glanced over his shoulder to see Daiki just a few paces behind him. Cocking his eyebrow, Inuyasha turned halfway towards Daiki. "What?" Inuyasha ensured he wasn't _too_ loud, lest he rouse Kagome. His companion could sleep through an earthquake, if need be, but given her current condition and the amount of pain she was in, Inuyasha wasn't going to risk waking her up.

"Would you like to set up camp?" Daiki inquired. "Your companion may need to rest and eat before we resume our journey?"

Inuyasha scowled, his eyebrows furrowing deeply. _Yes_ , he wanted to get to his brother's castle as soon as demonly possible so that he could take Kagome to her era, but he also knew that Kagome hadn't eaten anything since before they arrived at Kouga's… and that was _hours_ ago. She had to be hungry, but her state of sleep prevented her from voicing her concerns.

"First, I thought I told you I didn't need you to follow us." Inuyasha pretended he didn't notice the ghastly look that quickly flittered across Daiki's face. "And second, fine. That seems like a reasonable idea." Inuyasha muttered disgustedly. He hated agreeing with any member of his tribe; they shunned him since his birth and he couldn't give a rat's ass about them. The InuYoukai tribe was small, tightknit, but extremely powerful. They were the strongest and most cunning of all the demons, their tribe reigning supreme for centuries upon centuries, under the watchful eye of Inuyasha's great grandfathers, father, and presently, brother. The OokamiYoukai to the East and the HyouYoukai to the South could only aspire to be as strong as the InuYoukai of the West.

But the InuYoukai shunned him. After the great Demon King, Touga, was killed and Lady Izayoi birthed him, his tribe turned their back on him.

And, for that, Inuyasha despised his people to the core. The only _family_ he had was Kagome—he didn't need anybody else.

"We'll seek refuge in the woods… you ensure that my Lady is comfortable and I will gather wood and hunt game?" Daiki suggested which Inuyasha was quick to agree to. Like _hell_ was he going to leave Kagome under Daiki's watch. The wench was _his_ to protect and nobody else's.

"Fine. But at the crack of dawn, we leave."

Daiki nodded and began leading Inuyasha into a dense woody area just a few paces of from the beaten path. In truth, Daiki's exhaustion was beginning to kick in; he had travelled all across the continent to scent the young Lord and in between two episodes of breathless pain and no sleep for almost three nights, Daiki was ready to collapse.

When Inuyasha and Daiki found an area they deigned suitable, Daiki was off to hunt for their dinner. Inuyasha refused to lay Kagome down on the ground, especially with the chance that she could roll onto her broken arm, so he leaped onto the tallest branch of the highest tree and nestled her close into his chest. She stirred, just slightly, but the years of travelling through Feudal Japan had conditioned her both to be a deep and light sleeper at the same time.

When danger was at bay, she sensed it and woke up immediately. All other times, Kagome had the capacity to sleep through just about anything.

"Stupid wench," Inuyasha muttered affectionately as his right hand played with the tips of her hair while his left was gently wrapped around her waist. "Stop caring about me so much and let _me_ take care of the both of us." Kagome was such an integral part of Inuyasha's life that, sometimes, when he thought about what would happen when they recovered the jewel and made their final wish, he suffered incredible heartache.

He had long realized that his heart chose Kagome, despite what his brain told him to do.

_.xx._

Kagome was still asleep when Daiki returned with a boar and a stack of wood. As gently as Inuyasha could, he set her down close to the growing bonfire and began gutting and skinning the boar alongside Daiki. The silence was awkward, but Inuyasha didn't care. He was used to long and awkward silences.

Daiki didn't seem very fazed either. He rhythmically slashed the boar and cut it into small enough pieces to skewer. Every so often, Inuyasha's eyes would trail over to Kagome to ensure that she was still there, despite being able to hear her breathing and smell her scent. The sight of her relaxed Inuyasha.

"I'm grateful that you've chosen to grant your brother the audience he sought with you." Daiki finally said and Inuyasha's eyes flickered from Kagome to the InuYoukai General just a few feet away from him.

" _Keh_ ," Inuyasha snorted. "Kagome would've given me no other option."

"You've chosen a strong mate, Lord Inuyasha."

"She's—" Inuyasha was cut off when he heard Kagome's breathing pattern change. Dropping the chunk of meat he was slicing, Inuyasha wiped his bloodied hands on his haori (which, conveniently, absorbed the blood), and hurried over to Kagome.

"Wench?" He was kneeling beside her, peering intently at her face. Daiki only watched from afar.

Within moments, Kagome awoke and grabbed Inuyasha's outstretched arm to pull herself up to a sitting position. She was confused, at first, as she looked at Daiki and the raging bonfire that she was lying next to. The confusion, however, was short-lived as memories of everything prior to her catnap rushed into the caverns of her memory.

"We've set up camp?" Her voice was raspy and Inuyasha went to grab their gourd full of water. Kagome guzzled the contents down and wiped the trail over water that dribbled down her chin.

Inuyasha nodded, taking the gourd away from her. "Yeah. Eat some dinner. We'll be on our way at sunrise. There's less danger at the break of dawn, and with you not being able to fight—"

Daiki's elven ears perked up. _The Lady fights?_ Lord Sesshomaru had alluded to Lady Kagome being able to stand her own ground, but Daiki questioned how strong a human woman could actually be.

"It's better to travel by day." Daiki heard Inuyasha finish.

"Good idea." Kagome winced when a sharp pain shot up her left arm. "Can you get the herbs Ryouga gave me?"

Without missing a beat, Inuyasha searched through her yellow backpack and retrieved a small pouch of medicinal herbs. He crawled back over to Kagome and opened the pouch, dumping the contents on her outstretched palm. Daiki watched in awe—all rumours of the young Lord of the West being a rambunctious rebel couldn't be true. The demon before him was a caring individual, a little rough around the edges sure, but Daiki knew that his boisterous trait was the result of the punishment he suffered thanks to the lack of their Tribe's onus.

"This one is to rub onto my arm… you'll have to undo the sling." Daiki heard Kagome whisper. "And this I have to ingest…"

"Need me to refill the gourd? There's a stream not too far from here."

"You can just put some of this in my dinner, I'm sure it'll have the same effect."

Inuyasha nodded and began untying the sheepskin that Ryouga used to sling Kagome's left arm. Daiki had long forgotten his task of hacking and slashing meat and could only watch… Inuyasha, though not mated by ritual, cared for the woman far greater than any mated InuYoukai Daiki had ever met.

"Daiki," the young Lord called to him over his shoulder, "put this on Kagome's boar." Inuyasha tossed a small pouch in Daiki's direction. Wordlessly, Daiki opened the pouch and dumped the contents onto his palm before rubbing the herbs onto the once forgotten piece of boar.

"… your mother."

Daiki caught the tail end of Inuyasha said and glanced up to see him gingerly retying her sling.

"But seeing Sesshomaru is so much more important."

 _Her lack of respect for Lord Sesshomaru is almost infuriating._ Daiki thought, mindlessly, as he skewered Kagome's boar and began roasting it.

"Your arm is more important. The tribe that discarded me doesn't mean fuck all to me."

Daiki hid his shock. He was extremely prideful when it came to his tribe; he lived for the InuYoukai and he would die for them. He wasn't surprised, at all, that Inuyasha disliked the InuYoukai tribe but his love for his people overwhelmed the rationality of why Inuyasha would hate the tribe.

"But your blood is tied to them," Daiki's disdain for Inuyasha's hatred was cut short when he heard Kagome reply. "You're a member of the tribe… you're the ruler's younger brother—"

"Half-brother, wench."

"Both of your father was the ruler of the West. Something happened that's impacting _all_ of you and as much as I don't like your tribe _either_ , whatever happened to the InuYoukai is affecting you and that is more important than my arm." Daiki heard Kagome smile. "Besides, Sesshomaru is living without an arm, if worst comes to worst, I can figure it out."

" _Keh_ , like hell _I'd_ let that happen."

"Of course you wouldn't."

Daiki looked away and pretended to be busy with the rest of the boar when he saw Inuyasha stand up. _The rumours of young Lord Inuyasha_ _are simply that… rumours._ Daiki tossed a rib bone aside. _Lord Sesshomaru did tell me to set aside all of my expectations of Lord Inuyasha. He did warn me that Lord Inuyasha would not meet any of my preconceived notions._

If Daiki didn't know any better, he'd have thought that Lord Sesshomaru cared, just a smidge, for his younger brother.

_.xx._

"Is your arm okay?"

Kagome nodded. Inuyasha gently placed her down after the trio arrived at the village situated at the foot of Sesshomaru's castle. The hustle and bustle of the InuYoukai tribe was nothing uncommon, but it irked Inuyasha nonetheless. _These_ were the people that cast him and his mother away. _These_ were the people that made him feel disgusting for being a half-breed. _These_ were the people that, eventually, led him to Kagome.

And as much as he hated them, he had to appreciate the course of his history. It led him to the single most important person in his life.

" _Attention_!" Daiki's voice echoed through the picturesque town. Inuyasha's eyes snapped to the General.

"Do. Not." His voice was threatening and lethal, but Daiki paid that no heed.

"I must. You are, after all, royalty Lord Inuyasha."

Kagome was standing half a step behind Inuyasha. She was peeking around him at the crowd of demons that began to surround them—she didn't miss a few hanyou pups that led the crowd. _Perhaps they are more accepting now?_ Time would only tell.

"Please welcome Lord Inuyasha to _InuYoukai no Mura_ —the Village of the Dog Demon!"

A silence blanketed the crowd. Eyes bugged and a few demons craned their neck to catch a glimpse of the rumoured young Lord—the second Prince of the West. Inuyasha could only glower at the crowd that watched him like a zoo animal. He was mildly aware of Kagome trying to peek out from behind him, but he was conscientious enough to keep her hidden behind his large form. His damn tribe tried to get him killed, like _hell_ he'd let them _see_ Kagome so openly.

"Lord… Inuyasha?"

His eyes flickered to a very obvious hanyou. As much as Inuyasha hated it, his eyes softened a little. _So they decided to keep their own amongst them now, eh? Keh!_

"Our Lord Sesshomaru has sought an audience with his younger brother. I kindly request you treat Lord Inuyasha with the same respect you would his elder brother—as well as the Lord's intended mate."

Inuyasha's eyes snapped to Daiki. "The fuck did you just—" Inuyasha caught the look that Daiki sent him.

 _Please shut your fucking face, young Lord._ His eyes said it all and as much as Inuyasha wanted to break the General's nose, he knew why he introduced Kagome as such. InuYoukai were lethal, and many harboured hatred for the human race. The hanyous in the village shouldn't be proof of anything; _the tribe is bloodthirsty and it's fucking sickening._

"Now, part." Daiki snarled and immediately the crowd of demons separated to give way to the young Lord, the General, and the human girl that clung to the second Prince of the West.

Inuyasha kept his head held high and walked at a slow enough pace that Kagome could keep up. Her right arm was clinging tightly onto his sleeve and he didn't need to have heightened senses to know that Kagome was uncomfortable. Being uncharacteristically kind, Inuyasha leaned over so his lips were a hairsbreadth away from Kagome's ear and whispered: "We'll make this quick and leave soon. Would you like to go to a hot spring with Sango sometime soon?"

Kagome smiled up at him. "I would, actually."

He nodded and resumed his stoic walk. His little action, however, didn't go unnoticed by the watching members of the tribe. Many were astonished and others were confused. They were under the impression he was a lawless bandit. In fact, more of the members of the tribe than not assumed him to be dead until the wild rumours of the Shikon no Tama began circulating.

"Why does Lord Sesshomaru want an audience with him…?" A voice called out when Inuyasha and Daiki were out of earshot.

"No idea, Yabai."

_.xx._

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were locked in a tense staring competition. Daiki and Kagome were standing just behind Inuyasha; the brothers' path crossed within seconds of entering the castle and neither had said to a word to each other yet. Kagome, meekly, looked over at Daiki who caught her glanced and shrugged.

 _I'm as confused as you are, Lady Kagome._ His expression said. Kagome sighed and turned back to the Daiyoukai brothers—the great Dog Generals of the West. She knew of Inuyasha's heritage, she learned about it not long after their group disbanded. Hating the awkward silence, she took a step forward and situated herself between Inuyasha and Sesshomaru.

"Shall we get this meeting started?" She said and both sets of ochre eyes flickered to her. Kagome, however, was unfazed. She endured worse from both Inuyasha _and_ Sesshomaru. Instead, she turned to face the elder of the two. "You wanted to speak to us of the recent incidents?"

Seshomaru nodded, slowly. "You are quick to jump to the point of the meeting, human." Kagome had never heard Sesshomaru call her by her name, he was always _human_ , just as Inuyasha was simply _little brother_ to Sesshomaru. _Hmm, at least he says brother and not half-brother…_ Kagome quickly mused.

"It's best to skip the formalities." Kagome shrugged with her good shoulder. "So, let's get to the point, why is your tribe suffering... and more importantly, why is Inuyasha?" Very rarely did she show her affection for Inuyasha, but at that moment Kagome couldn't hide it. The damned tribe could go to hell, she needed to know what she had to do to protect Inuyasha...

Sesshomaru glanced at Daiki for a brief moment before looking back at his brother. "Let us retire to my study. We can discuss this there… Daiki, please go tend to your warriors. You've been absent long enough in your hunt for little brother."

Daiki bowed low and left the foyer just as Sesshomaru signalled for Inuyasha and Kagome to follow him. Out of the corner of Kagome's eye, she saw Rin hiding behind a pillar and watching them with great interest. As soon as her eyes met with Rin's, the little girl waved meekly.

Biting her cheek to prevent herself from grinning stupidly, Kagome gently waved back. Rin's broad grin made her soul soar.

 _Still a social butterfly._ Kagome thought amusedly.

After a short and awkward walk, the three of them found themselves in Sesshomaru's grand study. Bookcases lined the walls, leaving no stonewall unhidden. In the centre of the circular room was a small table and four cushions around it. Sesshomaru moved to take a seat and, reluctantly, Inuyasha followed. Kagome decided to stay standing; getting up and sitting down took a toll on her and it, somehow, used the muscles located in her broken arm.

Inuyasha looked over at her. "You good?"

She nodded.

Inuyasha turned his attention back to his brother. "Speak, asshole. Why am I suffering?"

Sesshomaru noted that Inuyasha did not regard the tribe in its entirety. He was asking about _himself_. No matter, whether Inuyasha cared for the tribe or not did not impact Sesshomaru at the least. He simply had to do his duty in telling his brother why they were suffering—Inuyasha could take the rest in his own hands, however that may be. In fact, Sesshomaru was most certain that Inuyasha _would_ take matters into his own hands, it was a blasted trait that both brothers inherited from their father.

"Am I safe to assume you've never heard of the _souzoku-jin no noroi_?"

Inuyasha's blank stare was answer enough.

"Simply put, it is the curse of heirs… it has been passed down from our great grandfather, seven generations ago, and it has yet to be broken." Sesshomaru's eyes bore into his brother's. "In truth, little brother, no known cure exists for this curse. It simply has existed for as long as the tribe can remember, and all the tribe has done is keep deferring it."

"… what exactly is this curse?!" If Inuyasha ever contemplated hating being a member of the InuYoukai tribe, right then was certainly the time to rue the day he was born into the blasted Dog General family.

"I do not know the story fully, little brother," Sesshomaru revealed, "but to what knowledge I have, a black witch cursed our great grandfather… if the rightful heir to the lands does not sire an heir the first Mating Season of them reaching their primal age, the tribe will cease to exist."

"What kind of fucking curse _is this_?!" Inuyasha roared. He sat up so that he was on his knees, leaning on the table with his palms flat down on it. "How does this curse even affect _me_ first of all, seeing as you're the rightful heir… and _what kind of witch decides to curse the tribe to make fucking pups_?!" Inuyasha hadn't sworn that much in ages, but he couldn't help himself.

He was livid.

"Calm yourself, little brother." Sesshomaru said, snidely. "Let me explain."

With little grace, Inuyasha sat back down and ushered for his brother to continue.

"Like I said, I do not know why a black witch cursed our lineage. I have been researching this for as long as you have been alive." Sesshomaru paused, expecting an idiotic outburst from Inuyasha but none came. He continued.

"And secondly, I am not the rightful heir to the West."

All the air was sucked out of the room. Kagome and Inuyasha gasped and, slowly, he looked over at her. She seemed to be in just as much shock as he was… did they hear him right?! The overbearing Sesshomaru was not the heir to the West?!

"What?" Was Inuyasha's intelligent response.

For the first time in ever, Sesshomaru looked uncomfortable. He was shifting in his seat, but his eyes never faltered from their piercing stare into Inuyasha's matching orbs.

"I am not the rightful heir to the West." Sesshomaru repeated. "Our father and my mother were never mates—as happy as you would like to be to hear this, little brother, I am their bastard son."

Inuyasha's heart was pounding against his chest. What the hell was he hearing?!

"Father married _and_ mated your mother, Princess Izayoi of the North. You were rightfully conceived and, therefore, that makes you both the rightful heir of the Western region _and_ the Northern region." Sesshomaru watched the many expressions flitter across his brother's face. He _knew_ Inuyasha knew his parents were of royal lineage, but just as Sesshomaru suspected, Inuyasha didn't know the depths of his bloodline and heritage.

After what felt like an eternity, Inuyasha decided to speak. His voice was hoarse, both from the lack of water and the barrage of surprises that Sesshomaru threw his way. "So… I'm the heir to both lands?"

Sesshomaru nodded. "Yes, you are. The North has been under my watchful eye since there is no rightful ruler governing right now, and I've been leading the West because of our father's request. This was a promise I made to our father when you were born; should anything happen to him, I would not let the West and the North fall, and neither would I let you die."

"You fucking tried to kill me!"

"No, I was training you to survive on your own."

"That's bullshit."

"Call it what you may, little brother, but I did what I had to do." Sesshomaru's eyes, finally, broke from Inuaysha's and moved to look at a shaken Kagome. "But I need you to understand what _you_ need to do, now."

Somehow, Kagome knew that Sesshomaru was talking to her more than he was Inuyasha when he said what he did. As quickly as he looked at her, he looked away and turned his attention back to Inuyasha.

"The specifics of the curse indicate that the rightful heir of our lands must sire a pup before the end of the first Mating Season as soon as he enters his primal age. If my knowledge serves correct, little brother… you are of primal age…" Sesshomaru's voice dropped, a little, towards the end of his speech. "And spring time is fast approaching. This is why these attacks are happening; our time is running short and you need to be with pup soon."

Inuyasha spoke, but his voice was tight. He felt as if he was being strangled. "And if I don't?"

"We cease to exist. All of us. From the elders to the pups." Sesshomaru decided not to sugar coat the repercussions of failing to comply with the curse's orders. "If your mate is not with pup by the end of spring, our tribe will be wiped off the face of the continent. This will happen no matter _when_ in time you chose to reside."

It was no surprise he knew of the duo's time travelling capabilities.

"I assume you two would like to think about this?" Sesshomaru asked as he stood up. Inuyasha, as stupefied as he was, remained sitting. When he didn't move to answer, Kagome did for him.

"Yes, we would."

The Daiyoukai nodded. "Very well. I will prepare two rooms for you, and I will find a qualified healer for you, human." Sesshomaru eyed her sling. "That contraption on your arm does not look like it will last long… and it carries the distinct odour of wolf." Sesshomaru bristled past her. "The wolves are underqualified healers… you'd do well to rely on little brother's tribe."

Kagome gaped at him as he left the study. That left her and Inuyasha, alone.

Time ticked on, but neither of them chose to say anything. Kagome remained leaning against a bookshelf, and Inuyasha studied the woodgrain patterns on the table in front of him. A crow cawed somewhere outside, but it didn't break either of them from their reverie. Finally, with a sigh, Kagome pushed off of the shelf and approached Inuyasha, gently placing her good hand on his shoulder.

"Inuyasha?"

"Promise me something," he finally rasped and Kagome gently squeezed his shoulder.

"What is it?"

"Promise me you won't spew bullshit of bearing my pup."

Kagome's eyes widened and her soul froze. "… _what_ …?"

Inuyasha looked over at her, his eyes dull and lifeless. "I know you, Kagome. You'd fucking take an arrow for me, and I know what you're thinking. If you and I mate and I impregnate you, then we can defer this curse." He pushed her hand off of his shoulder and stood up. "But this is my fucking tribe's problem, and I'm not going to punish you for me any longer." He pushed past her, towards the exit. Kagome lost the ability to speak; _what is he saying?!_

Just before he left, he called over his shoulder: "It's bad enough you deal with the shit you do because you're on this journey with me, but I won't let you torture yourself by being the mate of a hanyou. Neither will I let you suffer, like my mother, by being the mother of one either."

Without waiting for her response, he left the room. When his red haori was no longer in sight, Kagome let her tears fall.

_How did he know what I was thinking…?_

* * *

 


	5. How I Protect Thee

* * *

Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen. Kagome assumed that he wanted to think about the bomb that Sesshomaru dropped on him and went to brood on a tree somewhere within the InuYoukai territory. Kagome, accompanied by a very bubbly Rin, however, was sitting on a futon in Sesshomaru's castle infirmary being tended to by two demonesses. They discarded her _'filthy'_ sling and began to redo her bandaging.

 _'_ _The bandaging is of excellent quality though… for a wolf,'_ one of the demoness's mused. Kagome repressed the urge to exaggeratedly roll her eyes; _I guess being overly prideful is an InuYoukai trait._ She had gotten to know _that_ particular trait extremely well during her three years with Inuyasha.

"Is your arm still hurting, Lady Kagome?" Rin squeaked as she stared at Kagome's bruised arm. Weakly, Kagome smiled.

"A little, but the medicinal herbs are helping."

At that, Rin's eyes snapped to Kagome's. "Lord Sesshomaru's garden has herbs! Should I get some?"

"Young Rin," the elder of the two healer demonesses called out sternly, "please allow Lady Kagome to rest her mind. How about you go along and pick some pretty flowers for her, okay?"

Kagome didn't miss the snide undertone. It was evident that the demons were putting up with Rin because she was Sesshomaru's ward, otherwise they probably would've done to her what the wolves did to her family. Rin, however, was oblivious and ran off to do exactly what the demoness suggested: pick pretty flowers for Kagome. That left the young priestess in an extremely awkward, quiet situation… neither of the two demons wanted to talk to her, and she simply sat there and allowed them to do whatever it was they had to do to ensure her arm healed correctly.

 _If my arm was less than perfect, I'm sure Sesshomaru would have something to say about it… before Inuyasha even opens his mouth._ Kagome thought, amusedly. Her eyes flickered over to a sturdier sling that the younger demoness was preparing. Before they began their task, though, they had made her ingest an extremely potent mixture of herbs which, thankfully, dulled her pain to a throb— _it's probably stronger than most pain killers in my era, actually._

Heaving a heavy sigh, Kagome's eyes flickered to the vastness outside of the castle window. Snippets of the conversation with Sesshomaru kept replaying in her head: Inuyasha was the rightful heir of the West and the North, an InuYoukai eradicating curse was looming over their heads, Inuyasha was the sole hope of a tribe that he grew up despising… _how he has no intention of mating with me to defer the curse._

The last one hurt more than Kagome liked to admit. _Does he still want to be with Kikyo?_ She couldn't help but wonder… he was so vehemently opposed to the notion of mating with her and having pups with her… _what other reason could there be?!_

"There we are." The older demoness took a step back to study her handiwork. "That should hold you together until your arm heals. You need to come back and get that checked in a fortnight, understood? Or you could go to somebody else, we don't really care..." The latter part was said as an after thought under the demoness's breath. Kagome made no notion of acknowledging that she had heard. Instead, she simply nodded and got up off the futon, hurriedly leaving the infirmary.

"I'll send herbs to your room!" The younger demoness called out, but Kagome made no movement to acknowledge that she had heard.

_Where could he be?_

Kagome wanted to find Inuyasha and demand answers, but she also knew that he needed some time to himself and space away from her.

 _Ughh, just give him space. Not only does he have to worry about the Shikon no Tama and Naraku, but now he has to worry about the existence of his tribe. This is definitely not the time to be clingy… especially since he's made it clear that he doesn't need – no,_ _ **want**_ _my help with the curse._ Kagome thought, dejectedly.

_Besides, if he wants to find me, he will._

"Lady Kagome!"

Kagome turned around to see Rin sprinting towards her with a fistful of flowers. Relaxing her shoulders, Kagome smiled gently. "I see you've picked yourself quite the bouquet!"

Excitedly, Rin began talking about all of the facts she learned about herbs and flowers thanks to Jaken Sensei (Kagome had to laugh at the title). Though Kagome wanted to pay attention, she couldn't. Her mind kept travelling to Inuyasha… and his bloodline curse.

_.xx._

Sitting atop the tallest tree that he could find, Inuyasha watched the sun set. His mind was abuzz with everything that happened within the last few days… and he wanted to not think about anything. _I must've pissed off somebody in my last fucking lifetime to have to deal with so much bullshit in_ _this_ _one._

A crow shot past his field of vision, but his gaze didn't waver. His brain was trying to think of everything at the exact same time, and Inuyasha was trying to stop himself from doing so. _I'm going crazy._ Closing his eyes, Inuyasha inhaled deeply in hopes of calming himself down. After a few inhalations, he opened his eyes and focused on the first thing that he saw: the thin sliver of the moon.

 _What the hell do I do?!_ Never had he been more confused in his life.

 _Find a mate and impregnate her before spring time is done…_ he thought, incredulously. _Or else face inevitable extinction?! What kind of curse_ is _this?_ Inuyasha looked away from moon to watch the gently swaying treetops instead.

 _What happens if the tribe becomes extinct… who'll protect Kagome from Naraku then?!_ Inuyasha's eyes widened involuntarily. _Naraku will find the jewel and force Kagome to be his concubine._ For a split second, his demon blood began to boil but he was quick to lock it away. _No, that's too much effort. She's a handful; he'd kill her before he bedded her._ It was sickeningly twisted that Inuyasha would rather have Naraku kill Kagome than rape her.

Growling, Inuyasha rubbed his face in his hands before sighing loudly for the _nth_ time. _The fuck do I do?_ He wasn't going to force Kagome to endure a lifetime of pain and suffering... He wasn't about to subject her to the punishment his mother had to face…

_But I have to find a mate… and I have to find one quick._

And canines mated for life… wolf, dog, coyote, and jackal demons all mated for life. _Who, other than the wench, would I want to spend the rest of my life with?_

" **Fucking bullshit**." Inuyasha roared into the night sky, hoping that his scream would alleviate some of his tension. Unfortunately, it was to no avail. Growling in annoyance, Inuyasha pushed himself off of the tree branch and began sprinting back to his brother's castle. It was far too late in the night and he needed to have Kagome in his arms…

He was restless otherwise.

 _I have some time before it's officially mating season… I'll worry about this later._ Although Inuyasha tried to file away the _sozouku-jin no noroi_ in the deepest corners of his mind, it was also to no avail; his brain kept wandering over to the blasted curse that plagued him… and how he would have to do something against his will to ensure the longevity of a tribe that couldn't care less for him.

_Irony, you're a bitch._

_.xx._

"Wench?!"

The panic was evident on Inuyasha's face when he opened the sliding door to Kagome's chamber, only to find her not there. Before letting irrationality kick in, Inuyasha decided to inhale deeply to see if her scent was fresh.

It was.

Backing out from the entranceway of her appointed room, Inuyasha followed his nose through the twists and turns of the InuYoukai Western Castle and found himself at the third floor terrace. Kagome, much to his relief, was leaned over against the stone guardrail of the balcony, watching the darkened horizon. Noisily walking in her direction, in an attempt to make his presence known, Inuyasha arrived to stand just behind Kagome.

"You okay?" She asked, her back facing him. Sidestepping to the right, Inuyasha leaned against the guardrail beside Kagome, his haori brushing against her arm.

"I wasn't ever not-okay." He muttered in annoyance. "I just had a lot of energy I needed to get rid of."

"By sitting on a tree branch?"

" _Keh_ , climbing a tree requires energy, lazy wench."

Eyes narrow, Kagome looked at Inuyasha before returning her gaze onto the western horizon. "I'll show you lazy," she mumbled under her breath, knowing that her companion heard her.

"Huh?!" Inuyasha took a step back to glower at her. "What the hell do you mean _you'll show me lazy_?! How do you show somebody lazy?"

Kagome shrugged nonchalantly and pushed herself off of the guardrail. "We'll find out, now won't we?" She turned to fully face him and put her right arm on her hip. "Now, are we going to talk about your feelings?"

He turned his head away from her. " _Keh_ , what's there to talk about? We find a way to break the curse—actually," his eyes flickered towards her, a sudden idea striking him, "let's try wishing the curse away with the Shikon no Tama!" He sounded way more excited than he intended to.

Both of Kagome's eyebrows shot up. "Pardon me? This is coming from mister I-want-to-be-a-youkai-so-bad?"

"That's mister I- _wanted_ -to-be-a-youkai-so-bad-three-years-ago." Inuyasha had the audacity to correct her. "Besides, even if I _wanted_ to be youkai, it's irrelevant now seeing as my tribe is gonna be wiped off the face of the earth."

"So why don't—"

"You promised." The growl in his voice made Kagome swallow her words immediately. "Do _not_ even entertain that thought. You promised me and that's the end of that," whatever lighthearted banter that was going on between them was gone. "We'll find a way to get rid of this curse," he shoved his hands into his haori sleeve and began walking towards where their chambers were located; "We've dealt with worse anyway."

Kagome's jaw went slack as she watched his retreating figure. _Oh, Inuyasha… if mating me disgusts you so bad, just say it to my face…_

Masking her emotions from Inuyasha's ever sensitive nose, Kagome made way to her chambers as well.

_Might as well get some sleep while we have a roof over our head._

_.xx._

It was the strangest feeling ever.

Inuyasha paced the length of his room and kicked his futon about a few times, but nothing was fixing the weird sensation he was feeling. Just next door to him was Kagome… the woman who was there for him regardless of the situation; that saved him from himself and taught him to truly appreciate his dual-blooded nature. Next door to him was the Kagome who would give up 'running water' and 'electikaty' to be the mate of a hanyou and the mother of one as well… not because of the feelings in her heart, but because she cared so deeply for him that she would do anything to ensure that he was alive and well.

Next door to him was the same fucking-Kagome that slept in his fucking-arms for the last god-fucking-knows how long in tall-fucking-trees… and the fact that she _wasn't_ in his arms was driving him insane. _Fuck_.

"God dammit!" Inuyasha threw a punch at a wall, causing his fist to go through. Stumbling backwards, he stared at his handiwork before whirling on his heel and stalking out of his room.

 _I don't care how mad I am at you. You will_ _ **not**_ _be the reason I am losing sleep tonight, wench._ Without knocking, Inuyasha slid open the door to her room and crossed his arms, glaring at her with utmost intensity.

"Stop your fake sleep-breathing bullshit, wench." He snapped and Kagome's eyes flew wide open.

_He… knows?_

"If I can't sleep, then I ain't letting you sleep either."

That did it. Kagome pushed herself up and turned to return Inuyasha's ferocious glare. "Because _you're_ struggling to sleep, why punish _me_ along with you?"

"Because it's _your_ fault."

"How the hell is it _my_ fault?!"

"Because I can't sleep without you, on a fucking tree." There. He said it. The big-bad hanyou told the human woman that he couldn't sleep without her. _Now if the earth could open up and swallow me alive, that would be great._

Kagome opened her mouth to retort, but paused abruptly. "Wait… what?"

" _Keh,_ " Inuyasha avoided eye-contact. "It's habit now, okay?! I don't understand why the hell you're dragging it on—"

"You can stay in here tonight, if it makes you feel better." Kagome offered, effectively cutting him off. Inuyasha didn't need to be told twice; he walked into her room and slid her door shut behind him before untying his sword. Kagome watched him with unblinking eyes; the movement of him placing his sword down, the fluidity of him shrugging of his haori, and the lack of elegance exercised as he plopped down onto the floor across from her.

"Better?"

"… _keh_."

She hid her smile. Adjusting herself so that her feet were tucked beneath her sleeping yukata, Kagome pulled the blanket over her shoulder. She watched Inuyasha intently, but he was looking everywhere other than her.

"What's on your mind?" She finally asked, knowing that her best friend needed to talk. He wasn't much of a talker to begin with, but no matter how tough and strong he was, he couldn't bottle up everything. He would lose his mind, and she would have failed as his companion.

"Nothing." He mumbled but Kagome wasn't having any of it.

"I'll ask again: _what's on your mind_?"

That caused Inuyasha to look up at her. He studied her sitting on the futon, completely at ease knowing that she was in the safety of his brother's castle and in the comfort of his presence. Inuyasha exhaled loudly, unaware that he was holding his breath, and leaned his head against the wall. "Everything." He replied, his voice hardly above a whisper.

Kagome knew the dam broke, so she let him speak his heart.

"I don't understand why this is _my_ problem. I don't care about them, they could all die and it wouldn't bother me." Inuyasha's eyes were closed and his Adam's apple bobbed. "So why do I have to worry about saving these assholes that wanted _me_ to die? I should _let_ them die."

Despite resolving not to interrupt, Kagome did it anyway. "But then you'd die."

"And that's the issue." He cracked open an eye to look at her. "I'd die, and if I did who would protect _you_?"

Kagome's eyes widened. _Wh-what…?_ Despite the imminent destruction that Inuyasha was facing, his primary concern was _still_ her.

"Shippo isn't old enough _or_ strong enough to protect you _and_ defeat Naraku, and with Sango and Miroku being parents, their priorities are different." Inuyasha's eyes were closed again and he began rambling incessant things. "So without me around, you'd die in less than a day— _what the_?!" Inuyasha's eyes snapped open when he felt Kagome's arm on his shoulder. She had managed to get off her futon and sit directly in front of him all without him knowing.

"Will you shut up about stuff that isn't relevant?" She said in a stern yet soft tone. His eyes narrowed, but he chose to say nothing. Kagome's hand moved down from his shoulder and began playing with the rosary beads that hung loosely around his neck. "You aren't going to die, and neither am I. Those things aren't even the issue right now." Kagome stopped playing with the beads and her hand, gently, rested on Inuyasha's knee.

He was aware of the fire that roared through his blood when he felt her contact.

"Let's work on finding out _why_ this curse exists?" Kagome suggested. "Maybe if we know _why_ it came to be, we can figure out a way to dispel it?"

"Spring is around the corner, though," Inuyasha sighed, feeling defeated. It _was_ around the corner; all Animalia were preparing for mating season. "If I don't mate and get with pup by the end of that—"

"Let's cross that bridge when we get there." Kagome interrupted him. "I know you don't want me to be your mate but—"

Inuyasha lost his patience at what he heard. "You think I don't _want_ to mate with you?" His tone of voice rose with every word. Kagome's eyes locked with his and she removed her hand from its position on his knee.

"Well, yeah… why else are you so adamant in—"

"I'm _adamant_ because I saw how much pain and suffering my mother had to endure." Inuyasha sat up on his knees and his left hand grabbed Kagome's right shoulder. He was very cautious in not touching her left side, lest he cause her an exorbitant amount of pain due to her broken limb.

"I'm _adamant_ because I don't want you to feel the same things my mother did. I don't want you to be disrespected and emotionally abused because your mate is a hanyou and you birthed hanyou pups." Inuyasha's hand tightened, just slightly, on her shoulder. But it was the fire in his eyes that captured all of Kagome's attention. Never had she seen Inuyasha so consumed by a decision.

"I'm _adamant_ because I'd _kill_ anybody who ever hurt you, so please don't put me in a position where I have to murder every-fucking-body." At that, he released her shoulder and sat back down with his head in his hands. "I have enough to worry about; don't make me worry about your virtue and honour as well. As long as you _aren't_ mated to me, then I've done what I can to protect them."

Kagome's world was spinning. She hadn't expected _that_ to be his rationale behind not wanting to mate with her.

"Go to sleep," he commanded as he lifted his head from his hands. "We'll head out tomorrow morning towards Goshinboku Village— I said I'd let you go to the hot springs with Sango and you need to get your arm checked out in your time." Kagome wanted to argue back, but she knew it would be to no benefit: Inuyasha had listened to her request in coming to see Sesshomaru. Any of her protests would fall to deaf ears.

But she wasn't going to let him have the last word before she went to bed. "You know I'm always here to listen, right?" She offered.

"Yeah, I know."

"So don't bottle everything up."

"I don't."

Her eyes narrowed. "You _do_."

Mirroring her, his eyes narrowed too. "I do _not_."

"You weren't going to talk about what was on your mind if I hadn't probed."

"Well I'm not one to openly talk about what the hell is bothering me. You asked, I talked, therefore, I didn't bottle."

Well, he had a point.

Sighing, Kagome pushed herself up and made her way back to the futon. "Fine. You're right. We leave at dawn?"

"I'll wake you up." Was his response.

Crawling under the blanket, Kagome counted to twenty-five in her head before unconsciousness consumed her. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was Inuyasha's name echoing through her mind.

_.xx._

When Inuyasha was positive that Kagome had _really_ fallen asleep, he decided to take a stroll through the Western grounds, within the limits of his brother's castle. Nocturnal life was abuzz, flittering about without a care in the world. Aimlessly, Inuyasha walked throughout the property until he came across a small pond surrounded by large rocks.

He decided to take a seat.

 _And what if we can't find the origins of the curse before the end of spring?_ Inuyasha began to contemplate. _Or if we can't find the Shikon on Tama… we've been hunting for it for three years, what guarantee is there that we can defeat Naraku and wholly complete the jewel in the next few weeks?_

And, in truth, Kagome was the only viable option he had regarding taking a mate. He wasn't going to forcefully bind himself to anybody else.

_But I'm not putting her through that either._

He'd rather die than see her get hurt. But if he died, then she'd get hurt _physically_ because nobody would be there to protect her.

But if he mated with her, she'd be hurt _emotionally_ …

 **'** **But you can always soothe her pain.'** The raspy voice of his inner youkai echoed through his subconscious. **'Kagome wants to mate with us, she accepts all three of our forms… what benefit is there in succumbing to the curse when you have an option of deferring it?'**

"I'm not using her." Inuyasha said, aloud.

 _'_ _You aren't.'_ His human voice awoke. _'You have to marry one day.'_ Marry… what a human term that was. It always astounded Inuyasha how his two bloods were accustomed to their respective culture and traditions, despite not being ever exposed to them.

_'_ _As terrible as the situation may be, it's just allowing us to do the inevitable sooner rather than later.'_

"But she won't want to—"

 **'** **Don't feed me that crap,'** his demon sounded annoyed. **'She's been trying to tell us that she wants to mate with us since we found out about this curse. You're the one that shut her up, hanyou.'**

Well, the youkai wasn't wrong.

" _Keh_ , whatever." Inuyasha pushed himself off of the boulder. "I'm gonna try everything _else_ first. Mating will be my last resort."

**'** **The curse's attacks will be more frequent, I think, the closer we get to summer.'**

_'_ _He's right.'_

"I know." Inuyasha shoved his hands into his haori sleeves and began his trek back to the castle. "I know…" he repeated, quieter. He knew the implications of everything and he needed to sort things out. " _Keh_ ," he murmured as he leapt onto a tree and began scaling up the side of Sesshomaru's castle, his eyes locked on the window that led to Kagome's room.

"We'll find a way to defeat this curse." He told himself, hoping for it to be true.

As much as his heart yearned to be with Kagome, he knew that it would never be. It was because of what he felt that he wouldn't allow himself the luxury of being with her wholly.

Climbing in through the window, his eyes immediately fell onto a slumbering Kagome. As quietly as he could, Inuyasha sat down by the foot of her futon and rested his back against the wall.

 _If being with her means to be her companion on the hunt for the jewel, then fine. It'll take what I can get._ Eyes closed, Inuyasha allowed exhaustion to blanket his body.

_But… if there's a way… mother… father… give me a sign…_

* * *


	6. Warriors of the West

* * *

Kagome hated being taken care of by three InuYoukai women. They looked at her with contempt and disgust, making it very evident that they would rather mate with a _cat_ than be made to look after the young Lord's companion. Since Kagome was unable to change and bathe herself without great difficulty, Sesshomaru had assigned three InuYoukai to help her. Kagome _wanted_ to say that she was perfectly okay with Inuyasha helping her, but decided to clamp her mouth shut.

Sure, he _saw_ her naked more times than she could count throughout their many years together, but she didn't exactly want _everybody_ else to know that. She didn't need everybody else to know the way her blood roared when his fingers gently caress over her skin while changing her clothing, and she most certainly didn't need everybody to know that she had to stop herself from pressing her lips against his warm and inviting ones, because she simply wanted relish the feel of him coaxing her in to submission.

 _Yeah, no. Nobody on this freakin' planet needs to know_ any _of that._ Though it surprised her that Inuyasha baited her scene and called her out in her faux-sleeping state, but she was most certain that he was ignorant to her masking her scent when it came to her feelings for him.

"You're ready." One of the demonesses declared. Kagome recognized her as one of the healer demoness from the previous day; it was the older one that made snarky comments under her breath.

Kagome stood up and bowed, just slightly, to the three InuYoukai. "Thank you." She said before hurrying out of the chamber. Being alone with those that hated her simply because her blood was different from theirs unnerved her. _Usually_ she fared better but there were circumstances that caused her anxiousness: first, she only had one good arm, and second, she couldn't physically cause any harm to the InuYoukai as they were employed by Sesshomaru, who was as amicable as he'd ever been.

 _And third, Inuyasha isn't anywhere near the vicinity, and because of points one and two, I feel like I'm in a lot more danger than I actually am._ Kagome thought ruefully. Glancing both left and right, Kagome tried to sense Inuyasha's presence. He wasn't there when she woke up, but Rin was quick to come retrieve her and inform Kagome that Inuyasha accompanied his brother for his morning rounds around the InuYoukai village. Kagome, first, deemed that to be unusual but figured he wanted to ask some questions about the Curse of Heirs that loomed over his destiny.

Kagome caught the faint tingling sensation of his aura from Sesshomaru's courtyard and she started to make ways there. If she knew Inuyasha, _and I know him very well_ , he was itching to leave. He abhorred the Western Castle to begin with, so Kagome could only imagine how thin his patience was wearing with a curse and an injured Kagome thrown into the mix.

"… Goshinboku Village."

Kagome caught the tail end of whatever Inuyasha was saying. Rounding the corner, Kagome made her way over to Inuyasha who was talking to Daiki. The General of the Western Army bowed low while Inuyasha crossed his arms and watched, with smoldering eyes, Kagome approach.

"Good morning to you, lady Kagome." Daiki greeted as he rose. Inuyasha simply inclined his head in Kagome's direction and she returned his gesture with a small smile.

She looked at Daiki. "Good morning, Daiki. Hopefully I'm not interrupting anything important?"

Daiki glanced at Inuyasha and Kagome saw, from the corner of her eye, her companion nod. She made no reaction, though, wanting to see how the situation as going to play out. Daiki looked back at Kagome.

"Not at all. I was simply offering Lord Inuyasha a few of my best warriors to accompany you both back to Goshinboku Village."

Kagome was caught off guard and, subconsciously, she looked right over to Inuyasha. He stood, tall and proud, with his eyes watching her intently. "Aides?"

Inuyasha nodded, curtly. "With you injured and this stupid curse incapacitating me randomly, having a few aides accompany us back may not be a bad idea."

 _What the hell is going on?!_ Kagome thought, wildly. _Inuyasha_ never _accepts help from anybody. It makes sense, sure, but I didn't think_ _ **he'd**_ _be the one to make sensible decision!_

"Yeah, it isn't a bad idea." Kagome said, her voice distant. "When do we leave?"

"After you have breakfast?"

Kagome nodded and smiled at Daiki. "Thank you for giving us your warriors. Do you mind if I speak to Inuyasha in private, for a moment?"

With a gallant bow, Daiki left and Kagome whirled onto Inuyasha.

"Are you okay?"

He cocked an eyebrow, watching her curiously. "Yes? I think I am… why…?"

"Why are you accepting help?"

His ochre eyes rolled. " _Keh_. You're the one always asking me to swallow my fucking pride and ask for help when we need it. Now that I _actually_ do, you're questioning me?"

Kagome growled and stomped her right foot. "I'm not _questioning_ you, idiot. Usually it takes me convincing you for at least a few nights before you relent. I'm just surprise – _in a good way_ – that you took it upon yourself to do something sensible, is all."

Both of his eyebrows shot up at that one. "Are you saying I'm incapable of doing something sensible?"

"… perhaps."

His eyes rolled again, but more exaggerated this time. "Breaking your arm has turned you in to a comedian. Not." _Speaking of which_ , his full attention was focused on her arm. "How is it, anyway?"

Kagome glanced down at her tightly slung arm and smiled back up at him. "It's doing better. Sesshomaru was right; the Western healers are on a whole other level than Kouga's."

Inuyasha shrugged, nonchalantly. "I'm told the West is the leader in medicine… but I don't have any proof of _that_ claim."

"Hmmm, I'd believe it, though. From experience."

Nodding once, Inuyasha shoved his arms into the sleeves of his haori and moved to head towards the dining hall of his brother's castle. He glanced over his shoulder and called out to his companion: "Hurry up, wench. The faster you eat, the faster we can leave."

Kagome shook her head gently and followed Inuyasha into the castle. Her thoughts were in disarray but she didn't have time to sort through them. _I need to talk to Sango,_ Kagome decided. _Perhaps at the hot spring is when I could ask her for her opinion… she is more knowledgeable with the demon race. _

A tall and slender demonesses brushed past Kagome. Kagome swore that she heard the demoness her murmur _worthless human_ under her breath. Frowning, Kagome glanced over her shoulder but didn't catch a glimpse of who it was…

It didn't matter, though. In a matter of hours, Inuyasha and she would be departing for Goshinboku Village.

_.xx._

Inuyasha was standing half a step behind Kagome, with his shoulder directly behind her broken arm. Kagome studied the two fighters that were standing on either side of Daiki while Inuyasha was met with a glaring match with his brother.

"The fate of the clan rests on your shoulders, little brother." Sesshomaru said, tightly. Kagome, however, wasn't paying attention to their conversation. She was enthralled by the beauty of the InuYoukai that stood before her; it was one male and one female, both of their hair tied in high ponytails that reached the small of their backs. The female InuYoukai had twin blades that were fastened to her back while it seemed that the male InuYoukai was well versed in the art of staff-fighting. He was holding onto a tall scythe, a handkerchief twisting around fingers of the hand that held the weapon.

Their garb mirrored Sesshomaru's, though less regal. Boned armour protected their torso while their haori and hakama set were fitted for easy movement.

"This is Ranmaru," Daiki ushered to the male InuYoukai who bowed with respect for the young Lord and his lady. "He is second in command when I am not there to actively overlook the army." Daiki explained. Ranmaru's hazel eyes, leaning a little more to the yellowish amber that was hereditary to Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, flickered between Kagome and Inuyasha before resting at a standstill on Inuyasha.

"And this is Harue."

The female InuYoukai pointedly did not look at Kagome and bowed only to Inuyasha. Her narrow eyes, a chestnut brown colour, were locked onto Inuyasha's uninterested ochre orbs. Kagome fought the urge to glance at her companion; though an InuYoukai, Harue had a more wolfish gaze.

Daiki glanced at his two fighters. "Ensure Lord Inuyasha and Lady Kagome arrive at Goshinboku Village safely and return posthaste. We have much work to do upon your return."

"Yes, Lord General." Harue and Ranmaru bowed to their commander before approaching Inuyasha and Kagome; Ranmaru took his place beside Kagome while Harue stood next to Inuyasha. Kagome's eyes flickered over to Ranmaru and noted that his expression remained stoic, very similar to Sesshomaru, but his eyes were shining—though expressionless, there was something he was trying to hide under his façade.

"Have a safe journey." Daiki wished and Sesshomaru simply nodded at his brother before verbally bidding Kagome farewell. With no other words exchanged, the quartet set off.

_.xx._

Ranmaru moved his scythe to his shoulders and swing both of his arms over the staff. He was silent the entire time but Harue turned out to be quite the chatterbox that attempted to engage Inuyasha in conversation. The hanyou, however, paid her no heed and simply guided them in the direction of their destination. Kagome lagged behind, a few paces behind Ranmaru.

"Lady Kagome," Ranmaru called out which caused Inuyasha's back to stiffen. "You're dilly dallying. Hurry up or you'll be left behind."

" _Keh,_ " Inuyasha murmured under his breath. _Like I'd let that ever happen_.

Kagome rolled her eyes but continued her languid pace. "Whether I match your pace or not, Ranmaru, we are all going to arrive at Goshinboku Village at the same time."

"Ahh, so you _do_ speak." Ranmaru glanced over his shoulder. "I was beginning to fear that I'd have to listen to Harue's inane babbling for the next few days."

Kagome's eyes flickered to a now-seething Harue.

"Nobody asked you for your opinion, Ranmaru." Harue shot. "I'm trying to get to know Lord Inuyasha better. He _does_ have to take a mate before spring, you know."

Ranmaru didn't miss Kagome's eyes flickering away from Harue. Inuyasha's shoulders were tense and, abruptly, he stopped. Without turning around, he began to bark out orders: "Harue, shut up."

The female InuYoukai gasped in surprise.

"Ranmaru…" Inuyasha didn't have anything to say to him as the male InuYoukai didn't actually do anything. "Never mind. Wench!"

Kagome cocked an eyebrow. "What did I say about—"

"Come and walk beside me." Inuyasha didn't let her finish. Harue hissed in annoyance as she watched Kagome, with a disgustingly powerful strut to her walk, march past her and stand alongside the young Lord of the West.

"Ranmaru, can you take the lead?" Inuyasha asked and the InuYoukai nodded before leaping off a few yards ahead of them.

"Harue, you take the rear."

"But—"

"No buts." Inuyasha commanded as if it were the most natural thing to him. "If there are dangers coming from behind, I need you to be ready."

"But—" Harue shut up when she saw the glare the young Lord shot in her direction. _Is it because I said that thing about mating?_ She was confused as to why he seemed so protective of the human. Sure, there were rumours that she was able to sense the Shikon no Tama, but that had to be the _only_ reason the heir to the West **and** North kept her around… _right?_

Inuyasha and Kagome resumed their trek, without the immediate presence of Ranmaru and Harue. Inuyasha adjusted Kagome's yellow backpack on his shoulder but kept his eyes focused on the path ahead of them. Kagome stole glances in his direction before finally deciding to say something: "She could mother strong pups—"

"Kagome." His voice was warning. "You _really_ need to think before you speak."

"I think you should heed your own advice."

"I'm not telling **you** to mate with another, now am I?"

"You refuse to mate with me, you refuse to mate with someone from your tribe," Kagome stopped to fully face Inuyasha. "Then what is it you're looking for?"

"A way to break the curse. Now, I've been thinking about this all fucking night, wench." Inuyasha scowled. "Can you _not_ talk about it?! I'm trying to get my mind _off_ of my fucking fate."

Kagome studied him for a moment before relenting to his request and resumed walking in tandem. _He's right,_ she thought. _This has probably been on his mind since he found out about it. I'm not the only one worried about his life… he's worried about his own life… about_ _ **my**_ _life._ Kagome hadn't forgotten about their conversation from the previous night, where he revealed that it wasn't for any other reason than his respect for her that he refused to mate with her. _He's worried about my virtue and honour—he's worried about it more than he's worried about his life…_

If that didn't mean he cared for her, Kagome didn't know what would.

So focused on her thoughts, Kagome missed the glances that Inuyasha shot in her direction. His body had inched closer to hers to the point that his shoulder was brushing against hers. He needed to have subtle contact with the wench; his heart and soul couldn't bear the coldness otherwise. Kagome's touch, warmth, and smile were what kept him going.

Kagome's abruptly stopped and she whirled around, looking at the pathway that they just came from. Inuyasha recognized the look on her face and, without warning, picked her up bridal style.

"Ranmaru!" He roared so that their companion up ahead was given a heads up. Inuyasha began running in the direction that Kagome had looked at before asking her for further directions.

"Where?" He roared over the hurtling wind. He heard Kagome say _left_. Harue appeared in his field of vision before Inuyasha sharply cut left and continued to where Kagome was sensing the jewel shard. He sensed Ranmaru and Harue running behind him and, subconsciously, he let out a sigh of relief. Having companions to help him protect Kagome was _kind of_ relieving, but he would never say that aloud.

Inuyasha broke into a small glade and saw a flock of damned Birds of Paradise. He cursed under his breath and, gently, placed Kagome down. "Which one?" He murmured and Kagome closed her eyes, trying to sense the purified glow of the Shikon no Tama shard.

Coming to a halt behind them were Ranmaru and Harue, utterly confused.

"What happ—"

"The big one!" Kagome pointed, effectively cutting Harue off. Without missing a beat, Inuyasha unsheathed his Tetsusaiga and sprinted towards the flock, hacking any oncoming birds with his Kaze no Kizu. Ranmaru and Harue watched in awe, never before seeing the raw strength of the young Lord. Rumours spoke of his unmatched power, but it was something else altogether to see him fight in the flesh.

Inuyasha managed to slay the flock of birds before returning with the small shard. Kagome retrieved it from him, purified it, and dropped it into her vial—the system was something they had done time and time again and neither felt that words needed to be exchanged. It was, after all, their duty to rid Feudal Japan of its horrors by collecting the shards of the Shikon no Tama.

"Did… you…" Harue gawked at Kagome and Ranmaru rolled his eyes.

"She can sense the Shikon no Tama, we already knew that. There are rumours about her, _remember_ Harue?" Ranmaru looked over at Inuyasha. "I will take the lead again, my Lord?"

Inuyasha nodded curtly before Ranmaru jogged off. Begrudgingly, Harue went back to her position in the rear, leaving Inuyasha and Kagome alone, once again…

They were silent, walking beside each other. The sun was overhead and a light wind rustled the leaves around them, but neither Inuyasha nor Kagome paid any heed to their surroundings. Inuyasha was focused on their trek and Kagome was lost in her thoughts, which seemed to be happening a lot as of late. The weight of the vial around her neck tugged at her, serving as a reminder that they were, slowly, reassembling the jewel that they shattered time and time again.

 _What'll happen when it's whole?_ Kagome's mind wandered. _Will I be forced to go back to my time? What about Inuyasha's curse… what'll happen to him?!_ Kagome's heart began pounding, not going unheard by Inuyasha. _Will he die? Will I have to leave him forever… will I never know if he did die?!_

"Wench?" Inuyasha shoved her shoulder gently. "Whatcha thinking?"

Blinking several times, Kagome glanced over at Inuyasha and forced a smile. "Nothing… just… nothing."

His eyes narrowed. "You're lying."

"No!"

"You're getting anxious…"

"I'm not—"

"Kagome." His voice was warning. He had gotten _much_ better at getting what he wanted without resorting to violence, which truly sucked for Kagome because then she didn't have a valid reason to _osuwari_ his ass to oblivion. Kagome looked away from Inuyasha and lowered her head before beginning to tell him exactly what was on her mind.

"What's going to happen when we reassemble the jewel?"

" _Keh_ , I wish the curse away."

"What if we don't find it before spring?"

"Then I wish it away for future generations?"

Kagome blinked back tears. "What if… what if I'm forced to go back?" She turned to Inuyasha, unable to hide her tears any longer. An unknown feeling coursed through Inuyasha's body, slamming in to the very essence of his soul. "What if I leave and you die?! What if I never see you again?! What if I'm forced back into my time and I have to go on living without you—what if…"

Anything she was going to say was cut short when he wrapped his arm around the back of her neck and pushed her into his chest. Inuyasha's hand buried into her hair while his other went to wrap Kagome around her waist. Chin atop her head, Inuyasha began speaking: "Why're you worrying about something like that?" His voice was soft yet gruff at the same time. "I've told you before, I'll be by your side _always_. Jewel or no jewel… curse or no curse…"

"But what if your mate doesn't want me around?"

The arm that was wrapped around her waist tightened. "That won't happen."

"But what—"

"Stop your hypothetical situations, wench." Inuyasha growled. "Stop worrying about things that are nonissues right now. Focus on the jewel, focus on _me_ … don't worry about what'll happen when we reach the endpoint, okay?"

Kagome's body relaxed and she closed her eyes, willing her tears to vanish. He was right; there was no point in worrying about things that weren't an immediate issue. What she needed to focus her calories on were the jewel and the curse… if saving Inuyasha meant she had to, one day, leave Feudal Japan, then that was what she was going to do. But it wasn't anytime soon.

"Are you better now?" His voice was softer.

Huskier.

Kagome fought to hide her blush and control the pounding of her heart. "Yeah. Sorry…"

" _Keh_ ," he released her. "You have your moments when you try and think of too many things at once."

Kagome's jaw went slack but she was quick to pick it back up. "What the hell does _that_ mean?"

"You know what it means."

Inuyasha hid his smile when Kagome began retorting. This was it, this was _his_ Kagome.

**'** **Told you that you can soothe her pain, hanyou.'**

The raspy voice of his youkai echoed through his mind but Inuyasha paid him no heed. What he did to comfort Kagome was instinct; it was instinctual for all three of his forms and he needn't any persuasion. Though Kagome's virtue and honour were of utmost importance to him, it didn't negate the fact that he wanted her oh so fiercely. He wanted to mate with her, to have her mother his pups… he wanted her so badly that every muscle in his body ached when he wasn't in physical contact with her.

It was something he never felt before with any other woman.

_.xx._

The sun was beginning to set and the group decided to settle in for the night. Bonfire ablaze, Inuyasha and Ranmaru worked diligently to gut and skin their prey while Harue searched for some more firewood to keep the fire alive for most of the night. Kagome sat with her back against a tree, watching the two InuYoukai prepare their dinner while engaging in light conversation.

"Harue talks a lot," Ranmaru murmured. "I try to get her to shut up but she doesn't."

"Really?" Inuyasha's sarcasm was palpable. "I hadn't noticed."

"I wish I was blessed with your ignorance, Lord Inuyasha." Ranmaru grinned and Inuyasha couldn't help but be bewildered at how easily Ranmaru was lighthearted with him. Cracking a grin, Inuyasha resumed skinning the boar.

"Never thought my ignorance would be a blessing," Inuyasha smirked. "Hear that, Kagome?"

"It's a curse." Kagome murmured dryly and Ranmaru barked with laughter. Not long after, Harue returned with a handful of firewood and twigs; enough to keep their hearth warm. Settling around the fire, the four sunk their teeth into their dinner. Harue had cozied up next to an annoyed Inuyasha and Kagome and Ranmaru could only watch in amusement from afar.

"She's quite the character, hm?" Ranmaru murmured when he was sure Harue wasn't paying attention to them. Her elven ears had quite the hearing range and he didn't want to be on the receiving end of her fury.

Kagome glanced at Ranmaru before turning back to an overly animated Harue and a very still and impatient Inuyasha. His eyes were closed as he chewed on his boar slowly, but Harue incessantly pressed her body against his, speaking to him in seductive whispers. Telling herself that it was just Harue's personality, Kagome tried to dodge the clutches of jealousy as it began bubbling in the pit of her stomach.

 _I can't be jealous._ She attempted to convince herself.

"She's… persistent." Kagome didn't miss Inuyasha's ears twitching. He was listening to her and Ranmaru's conversation instead of listening to Harue speak. Kagome hid her smile, _oh, Inuyasha_.

Ranmaru leaned back on one arm and glanced down at Kagome. "Lord Inuyasha should've expected it; he needs to take a mate to defer our curse and he's the young Lord of the West **and** the North. It doesn't matter what his bloodline is, bitches across our clan will flock to him." Ranmaru belched loudly and Kagome stifled a giggle. He had a very brotherly aura to him; it made Kagome miss Miroku and their long talks through the night.

"Guess he has no shortage of choices, then." Kagome said diplomatically, causing Ranmaru to snort.

"I doubt Lord Inuyasha would ever pick bitches from our clan. Hell, _I'd_ never pick them."

"Oh?"

"InuYoukai women are pretentious." Ranmaru revealed. "It's no wonder the great Daiyoukai Touga picked Lady Izayoi as a mate, and Lord Sesshomaru is considering Lady Rin to be his mate when she is of age—" Kagome choked on her boar and Inuyasha was at her side in a heartbeat. Harue blinked confusedly but Ranmaru was laughing, his head thrown back.

"Lord Inuyasha, you didn't need to trample over our fire. I was here beside Lady Kagome," Ranmaru got up and sat in a crouching position. He peered intently at Kagome, who was catching her breath after recovering from choking on her boar, and Inuyasha, who was gently patting her back to help her breathing resume to normal.

" _Keh_." Inuyasha's infamous response.

Ranmaru stood up and dusted the seat of his hakama before picking his scythe up. "Well, that was a wonderful dinner. My gratitude, Lord Inuyasha and Lady Kagome… I will be retiring for the night."

"Where the hell are you going to sleep?" Harue snarled, annoyed that Inuyasha was immune to her feminine wiles. Ranmaru glanced over his shoulder and winked, playfully, at Harue.

"In a tree. Where I sleep every night?"

Harue glared at the back of his retreating head. _Jerk_. Her eyes glided to where Lord Inuyasha was and her annoyance spiked when she saw that he picked Kagome up and leapt onto the highest branch of the tree Kagome was leaning on earlier. _It's going to be harder than I thought, to vie for his affection._ Not wanting to eat any longer, Harue sought a tree herself, far enough from Inuyasha and Kagome where she didn't have to watch the two. _What the hell is it about her that's caught his attention?!_ Harue was determined to find out...

Kagome's back was pressed against Inuyasha's chest with her legs straight out ahead of her on the thick branch. Inuyasha's left leg was swinging, dangling off of the branch while his right was pushed up against Kagome's legs. "You've been a little off today." He observed and Kagome frowned.

"I have not."

"You've been quieter."

"We have two strangers accompanying us," Kagome shot. "I can't go running my mouth like I normally do with them around."

Inuyasha snorted. "That's never stopped you before."

"And what about you?!" Kagome twisted her torso so that she would look into his eyes. "Letting Harue hang off of you like some kind of—"

"Jealous?"

Kagome's eyes widened and she, immediately, turned so her back was facing Inuyasha once again. "As if! Why would _I_ be jealous of _her_?"

"Of course," Inuyasha fought his smirk. "Why would you?"

Kagome didn't want to add fuel to the fire so she kept her mouth shut. Sure, she and Inuyasha had matured throughout the years which meant that their disagreements also matured (to some degree), but that didn't mean that they were _mature_ exactly; _we still have our moments where I feel fifteen again._ Kagome mused.

The comfortable silence that blanketed them warmed Kagome to her core. That was what it meant to be with Inuyasha— it meant that she was safe and comfortable, regardless of time of day… regardless of place… regardless of era. Home was where Inuyasha was and comfort was where his heart beat; until the day Kagome died, she would always feel that way.

Kagome was so caught up in her thoughts that she missed the tensing of Inuyasha's muscles.

"Kag— _ome…_ "

She recognized the tone in his voice. Twisting around, she saw exactly what she feared: Inuyasha succumbing to pain. The Curse of Heirs was in full force as Inuyasha's breathing became laboured— _we're in a tree!_ Kagome's panic was rising; she needed to ensure she and Inuyasha were safe – and secure – on the tree. If they fell, there'd be no telling if either of them would survive the fall, especially with Inuyasha unable to grasp reality.

"Inuyasha," she tried to keep her voice level and calm, right arm curling around the back of his neck. "Listen to my voice, Inuyasha!" She tried to keep her tone strong and controlled, not wanting him to catch on that she was worried.

He clawed at his haori, trying to rip it off as he had done the other times that the curse consumed him. His forehead was lining with beads of sweat and his face was becoming flushed. Kagome hadn't a clue on what to do, _I don't even know what the curse does! I don't even know what type of pain he's experiencing..._ A vision of Inuyasha being forced into becoming a youkai in Princess Kaguya's castle flashed in Kagome's mind's eye and, without rhyme or reason, she did the first thing that her heart told her to do.

She leaned forward and captured Inuyasha's lips with her own.

Almost instantly, his thrashing ceased.

* * *


	7. Undying Passion

* * *

Inuyasha's thrashing stopped.

His ragged breathing stopped.

 _Time,_ itself, stilled.

The twist of her body caused a jolt of excruciating pain to course through her left arm and shoulder, but Kagome didn't pay the pain any heed. Her primary and _only_ concern was to ensure that Inuyasha was brought back to reality. Back at Princess Kaguya's castle, her love for Inuyasha was enough to bring him back to his senses… perhaps that same love could have an even more powerful impact on him.

Though still against her lips, Kagome could feel the light tremors in Inuyasha's body. His sinew rippled and his muscles twitched—he was fighting to reclaim his consciousness. Whatever the pain was… whatever the _curse_ was, was not going to best Inuyasha.

 _Not while I'm around_.

After eternity and a day, Kagome gently pulled back from Inuyasha but remained a hairsbreadth away. She fought her own pain, fought her own tears only so that she could see the sparkling light of Inuyasha's eyes. With a deep inhalation, Inuyasha opened his eyes and, almost immediately, they locked with Kagome's worried orbs.

"Kagome?" He croaked and her shoulders sagged, her head going to rest on his shoulder. Dumbstruck, Inuyasha allowed her to shift her position so that she was comfortably nestled in his arms, her legs swung out beside her and her bad arm angled away from him.

"Thank God you're okay," she murmured, her eyes unintentionally watering. "I was so scared… so… worried…"

Hesitantly, Inuyasha brought his arm up to gently caress the length of Kagome's back. For a brief second she stiffened before melting into his ministrations. He brought his head forward and leaned it against Kagome's, hoping to convey the message that he was there… all of him was there, just for her.

"Thank you," the croak in his voice hadn't gone. Kagome pulled her head up to look at her companion but the sight of her tears made his heart slam against a wall. "You're… you're crying…" His stutter, coupled with the husk to his tone, made Kagome's heart race wild.

"Why?"

Kagome's eyes searched for something in his. What she was looking for, she hadn't a clue, but when she was certain she found it, she answered. "I don't know what I would've done if the curse got you this time." She revealed, shyly. "You're very important to me, Inuyasha."

 _That's as close to a love confession as I'll ever get._ Kagome thought, ruefully.

Inuyasha stopped his ministration and opted to hug Kagome instead. She brought her head back to his shoulder and he rested his chin atop her head—it was very reminiscent of what they experienced just earlier that day. "You're important to me too, Kagome." _More than you could even possibly imagine_. Inuyasha decided to steer the conversation to much safer grounds. "How did you make the pain stop so quickly?"

If he wasn't a hanyou, he wouldn't have caught her muffled response: " _I kissed you_."

**'** **Bah! So much for safer territory, hanyou!'**

_'_ _Will you stop badgering the man!?'_

His internal two voices made small quips before locking away in his subconscious. "You kissed me?" He repeated, slowly, and felt Kagome nod against his shoulder.

"It worked at Princess Kaguya's castle…"

_Could it be… that what she feels for me is enough to temporarily repel the curse?_

**'** **Or it could mean she's your intended mate, hanyou.'**

_'_ _I can't say I disagree with youkai.'_

'Can you both just shut up for once?!' Inuyasha hated how his two bloods began to filter into his mind every time he was faced with a thought that involved Kagome.

**'** **Keh.'**

_'_ _Keh.'_

'Keh!'

With a deep sigh, Inuyasha pulled Kagome away from his chest. "Kagome?" He forgot about his temporary inner turmoil. Inuyasha forgot about the curse and its effects… he forgot about his and Kagome's mission and he forgot about Naraku. All that existed for Inuyasha at that moment was Kagome. _His_ Kagome.

Her eyes, half-lidded, looked up at him through her lashes. "Inu—"

Her words were cut short when he pressed his lips tightly against hers, coaxing her to give him more than she ever did. Her mind froze and her heart stilled when she felt him kissing her. He had never reciprocated, heck, they kissed just once in Princess Kaguya's castle and that was to bring him back to reality. He returned the kiss, sure, but not with fervour.

One of his hands went to the back of Kagome's head and pushed her deeper into him. Involuntarily, Kagome sighed and Inuyasha took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. He explored territory that he never had the blessing to do so before. He marked every inch of her, claimed her mouth so that no demon, human, or variation thereof would have the audacity to try and take what was rightfully _his_.

Kagome's right arm gripped his haori, passion filling her senses and desire rocking her core. She tilted her head back and Inuyasha tore his mouth off of hers to find the column of her neck instead, kissing and sucking until he found her sweet spot, just at the base of her neck, right at the junction. Kagome bit her lower lip harder than she wanted to, drawing blood, but that wasn't enough for her to swallow the moan of passion. Smelling her blood, Inuyasha removed his lips from her neck and covered her mouth again, licking away the droplets of blood before reclaiming her mouth.

Passion melted into ecstasy. Kagome's grip tightened and Inuyasha drew his arms around her, hugging her closer to his body. Unfortunately, he placed a little _too_ much pressure on her left arm that caused her to hiss in pain and break contact from his lips.

"Fuck," he cursed as he turned his attention to her arm. "Are you okay? Where does it hurt?"

Lips bruised, all Kagome could do was pant heavily and close her eyes, trying to process _everything_ that had happened. She hadn't anticipated Inuyasha to kiss her so passionately, and just when she was getting into it, she hadn't anticipated her left arm to act up. _Stupid arm._ _That was an opportunity that I probably will_ _ **never**_ _get again._

"It's just a little sore," Kagome finally said as Inuyasha's eyes flickered back to look at hers. "I think I pulled it when I was helping you fight off the curse."

_When I kissed you…_

"Wench," Inuyasha's voice was affectionate yet stern. "Why the hell would you exert yourself?"

"I'll heal." She shrugged, nonchalantly despite her racing heart. "Fighting the curse was more important. Making sure _you're_ okay is more important."

Inuyasha was at a loss of what to say, so he simply turned Kagome back around in his arms and pressed her against his chest once more. "Sleep," he whispered into her ear, causing goosebumps to travel up the length of her arm. "We've had an eventful day."

Despite her adrenaline pumping and her heart racing, Kagome was able to succumb to throes of sleep. Inuyasha, however, wasn't as lucky. He kept replaying him claiming her lips over… and over… and over again in his mind. What possessed him to kiss her?! She didn't fight it, but he _knew_ she wouldn't have fought it. Growling deep in agitation, Inuyasha leaned his head against the trunk of the tree and stared out into the endlessly night sky.

 _Give me that damn sign, mother… father… Show me that I can be with her in a way that's more than just a shard hunting companion_.

Within seconds after his prayer to his parents, the deep hoot of an owl echoed through the skies.

_.xx._

"Last night's attack wasn't as bad as the previous ones," Ranmaru said to no one in particular. The group rouse early and wolfed down their breakfast before resuming their journey back to Goshinboku Village. Though Kagome and Inuyasha tried to remain normal, memories of the previous night kept replaying in both of their minds which caused one or the other to blush uncontrollably. Kagome even stuttered at one point.

Kagome, lazily, looked over at Ranmaru. "You all experience it? I don't think I've asked…"

"Unfortunately," Ranmaru shrugged. "I'm sure the two Lord brothers have it the worst, seeing as it was their ancestor that was cursed, but we all feel it."

Kagome, reluctantly, looked over at Harue. Inuyasha was walking just a few paces ahead of the trio whereas Kagome walked in tandem alongside Ranmaru and Harue. Harue had fallen off her tree branch when the Curse of Heirs hit and refused to have Inuyasha look at her. She cut her cheek on a rather sharp rock when she hit the gound, and thought the scar made her _undesirable_.

"Do you have it bad?" Kagome asked gently but Ranmaru chortled.

"She fell off a tree, Lady Kagome, I'm sure she had it _pretty_ bad."

"Will you shut **up**?!" Harue roared. "How Lord General ever thought me being part of your squadron was a good idea is _beyond_ me!"

Ranmaru grinned. "Brother Daiki knows that only I can keep your ass in line, bitch."

Kagome, whose head was darting between the two verbal combatants, gawked at Ranmaru. "Daiki is your brother?"

The second-in-command nodded gleefully. "That he is. That's why he entrusted me to take both yourself and Lord Inuyasha back to Goshinboku Village…" He cast a snide sideways glance to his subordinate. "But why pair me up with Harue is beyond me. There were many other more able bodied bitches that could've accompanied us."

"Hey!" Harue stopped and marched up to Ranmaru, poking him in the chest. "I'm the strongest bitch in your squadron!"

Ranmaru rolled his eyes and lifted his scythe so that it rested on his shoulders. "You're the _only_ bitch in my squadron, Harue, so that isn't saying much."

Kagome took a few steps back and stumbled when she felt herself backing into something solid. She looked over her shoulder to see Inuyasha's unimpressed glare at Ranmaru and Harue.

"You're a cruel youkai, Ranmaru." Harue rolled her eyes. "It's a wonder why you haven't found yourself a mate."

Ranmaru's laughter echoed amongst the trees. "You're still a single bitch yourself, Harue." He sent a playful wink in her direction before resuming their walk. "Come, now, we mustn't dally. One verbal spar with you on the daily is enough for me."

Harue stomped her foot in annoyance and jogged to catch up to Ranmaru, evidently not content with how their 'conversation' ended. Kagome and Inuyasha simply gawked, unsure of how to react to what they had just seen. Kagome, slowly, looked over at Inuyasha: "They're protecting _us_?"

"That's what I'm thinking." Inuyasha grumbled before following after them. "Let's go, wench."

 _Well that's the most he's said to me since we woke up,_ sadness rippled through her soul. _Does he regret it? Did he only do it because my kiss stopped the pain from the curse?_

Deciding not to dwell, Kagome picked up her pace so that she was just a few steps behind Inuyasha.

_.xx._

There was still at least half a day's worth of travel left, but the team decided that they needed to break. Inuyasha situated their camp close to a gentle river where he knew Kagome could bathe—she hadn't whined about taking a bath in a while, to her credit, so he thought he would give her a little treat.

Kagome was rummaging through her yellow knapsack that lay slumped against a rock. Harue went to relive herself and Inuyasha and Daiki lounged around their camp, allowed themselves to momentarily relax. Upon finding what she was looking for – a change of her yukata and some medicinal herbs for her arm – Kagome stood up and caught Inuyasha's eyes.

"Can you…" She gestured at the yukata and medicine and he nodded, knowingly. Standing up, Inuyasha was about to take a step towards her when Harue burst back into the camp.

"Does Lady Kagome need help?!" She asked, her voice a little more enthusiastic than it should've been. Ranmaru's eyes narrowed.

_What is she excited about?_

"I can help her!"

Inuyasha glanced at Kagome who seemed taken aback. He looked over at Harue and snarled—it didn't matter that Harue was a female, _nobody_ was going to look at _his_ Kagome's body other than _him_.

"No need," Inuyasha said curtly as he appeared before Kagome in a few short strides. " _I've_ taken care of her this long so _I_ will be the one to help her." His tone was final as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and guided her to a hidden clearing close enough to the river. Harue watched with raging anger— _why is he picking that human girl over me?! A famed_ _youkai_ _warrior of the West?!_

"You're pathetic," Ranmaru called from his laying down position. "I oughta get Brother Daiki to demote you. Why're you pining over a man that already has his heart set on another woman?"

"Shut up, Ranmaru," Harue scowled. "Do you not understand the power Lord Inuyasha will have if he mates with me?! Our pups will have combatant blood in them—the children of an infamous hanyou Lord and a powerful youkai warrior!"

Ranmaru's eyes shone maliciously. "That may be, Harue, but his heart belongs to Kagome. _Everybody_ can see that."

"Hearts can change their tune," Harue scoffed.

"Weak hearts change their tune," Ranmaru muttered, "but hearts without indignation that are filled with pure love will _never_ change their tune."

"Who made you the experts of hearts?"

Ranmaru shrugged nonchalantly before standing up, dusting the seat of his hakama. "Nobody." Picking his scythe off the ground, Ranmaru made ways to make a quick round around the perimeter of their camp. Harue scowled at him before plopping down beside the dying embers.

 _That Ranmaru! Such an insufferable prick…_ her eyes travelled over to where Inuyasha and Kagome went. _What_ does _that human have that I don't?!_

_.xx._

"Ow, ow, ow!" Kagome hissed as Inuyasha gently tried to peel her yukata off of her. He fought a losing battle, trying not to glance at her exposed breasts. The bindings around her chest forced her milky mounds up, spilling out and around the very things that bound her.

"Sorry, sorry." He murmured, trying not to slit her clothing. He had made the grave error once and received the _osuwari_ of a lifetime. Kagome could only nod, blinking back her tears, as Inuyasha gently tried to rid her of her clothing. When all was said and done, she was standing before him, partially naked as he prepared her fresh yukata.

"Are you going to bathe?" He asked, trying not to look at her.

"I am… should I call for you when I'm done?"

"No need," Inuyasha shrugged of his haori and slipped out of the inner piece as well. "I need a bath—let's kill two birds with one stone?"

Kagome gulped, the action not going unnoticed by Inuyasha. He knew she was nervous because of the kiss they shared… he was trying to do _her_ a favour by not bringing it up, but his insides were clawing at him. The more he claimed of Kagome, the more he desired, was beginning to become extremely dangerous. He couldn't afford to take any more than he already had.

"Is there… a problem with that?" He asked, as an afterthought.

Kagome squeaked a soft _no_ and began to mechanically head to the riverbed. Inuyasha folded his haori and placed it, along with Kagome's yukata, on a lone boulder just a few feet away from where they'd be bathing. Kagome had strode near the middle of the flowing waters, it reaching just up to her hip.

 _At least my arm isn't getting wet_. Kagome thought, trying to keep her mind off of the partially naked Inuyasha bathing not too far away from her. Sure, she'd caught glimpses of _him_ naked throughout their years of travels, but they hadn't actually _bathed_ together. Kagome used her good arm to splash water on her body but her mind was elsewhere.

_He hasn't said anything about the kiss…_

_But neither have I…_

Consumed by her mind, Kagome missed her footing and began teetering into the water. Before her scream could escape her throat, she found herself secure against Inuyasha's wet and muscular chest. Gasping, she moved to take a step back but slipped again and found herself _back_ in his chest.

"Wench, stop moving." His voice came affectionately from somewhere above her. "You're on a slippery patch."

Her face against his chest was enough to cause her heart to race into overdrive. Kagome didn't hesitate when Inuyasha guided her over to a more stable place to stand; her soaking bra was pressed against his chest and the arm that rested on the small of her back was just a flicker away from her panties.

Before Kagome knew it, Inuyasha withdrew his hold from her and waddled back to his place in the river. She watched his back, her right arm clutching her chest with an unknown feeling… _Why did I want him to kiss me again?_

It was a silly self-imposed question. Kagome already knew the answer; _I love him._

_.xx._

"We didn't think this through," Kagome murmured as Inuyasha stared, in horror, at the wet undergarments that donned her slender body. "You have to go get them from my backpack."

"But…"

"And then you have to help me change into them."

"I'm getting Harue!"

"No, you aren't." Kagome rolled her eyes, calling him on his bluff.

"Wench," his voice sounded whiny despite him wanting to sound stern. "Helping you change is _one thing_ but…"

"You've seen me naked before," Kagome harrumphed. When Inuyasha's eyebrows shot up, Kagome decided to clarify with: "When you saved my virtue and honour from Miroku's lecherous ways."

"Your sarcasm is annoying."

"You should be used to it by – _atchoo_ – now."

Inuyasha snarled and stood up with a stomp. "And _now_ you're getting fucking sick. Ugh, just wait right here, I'll be right back!" Inuyasha had placed his haori over her before he ran off, to help her ward of the cold. Kagome, with her good arm, clutched his haori closer to her, inhaling his scent in the process. She always loved his oaky scent; it was so masculine. No cologne in the modern era could ever recreate Inuyasha's natural smell.

"Alright."

Well, he _did_ say he was going to 'be right back'. It was Kagome's turn to have her eyebrows shoot up. He was holding a pair of underwear that Kagome designated her _period panties_ and her strapless bra. Neither would've been _her_ first choice but she had to make do with what she had until she was with Sango.

Inuyasha's Adam's apple bobbed. "Alright… let's… do this…"

 _Well, at least I'm not the only nervous one._ Kagome thought. She closed her eyes and turned around, allowing Inuyasha to unhook her bra. She was wearing a bra that allowed her straps to be undone without slipping over her arm, allowing her left arm to remain as motionless as possible. Biting her tongue, Kagome forced herself to not inhale sharply when she felt his claws run down a small length of her spine before fumbling with the hook.

Despite them both bathing, his fingers were fiery hot and her own temperature was rising. Before Kagome knew it, the bra was undone and –unintentionally—Inuyasha's fingers grazed against the side of her breast as he slipped her bra off.

 _Oh, god._ Her arousal skyrocketed and, immediately, assaulted each and every single one of Inuyasha's senses. Body ablaze, Inuyasha leaned forward and pressed his lips on her right shoulder blade, keeping his left arm secure on her waist and his right arm gripping her forearm.

"In _uuu_ …" Kagome's voice was a purr when his lips trailed down her shoulder blade. He dropped to his knees, his lips following suite. With burning desire, he kissed the small of her back as his fingers gripped the band of her panty, gently tugging it down. The sight of her bare butt was enough to drive him to the edge of desire; if he were to claim her in the traditional way of the canine, her ass would be offered to him.

Kagome let out a breathy whisper. "Inuyasha…?"

 _I don't want him to stop…_ everything he was doing was exactly what Kagome had wanted. She wanted him to continue his kisses… but at the same time, she knew that it was borderline wrong. They never discussed their feelings for one another, other than 'you're very important to me'.

Mixed emotions filled her gut when she felt him tug at her feet to allow him to slip on her dry underwear. As quickly as the passion was induced, it was gone. Inuyasha quickly fastened on her bra and helped her wrap into her yukata. Kagome's eyes were downcast as Inuyasha busied himself with ensuring that she was dry, clothed, and ready to continue their adventure. When he was content with his handiwork, he brushed a few stray locks of her hair off of her shoulder and took a step back.

"Better?"

Kagome was glad his voice was shaky. _Good, I'm not the only one that was bothered by all of this_.

"Better." She affirmed.

"Good. Head back to camp, I'm just gonna finish getting ready myself."

With a hesitant nod, Kagome quickly scurried off to where Ranmaru and Harue were waiting. When Inuyasha knew Kagome was out of sight, he drove his fist through a tree, cracking it's trunk. _Fuck. Why the_ _ **fuck**_ _did I do that?!_

The one time he wanted his two bloods to come to life, they didn't. And Inuyasha knew exactly _why_ —they only spoke when he was unsure of something, when he was facing inner turmoil. But at that moment, he wasn't unsure of _anything_.

In fact, he had never been so sure of anything before. He knew he wanted Kagome. He wanted to feel her skin on his lips, he wanted to hear her breathless sighs of passion… _he_ wanted to be the root cause of those very sighs. His feelings for Kagome only intensified as their journey continued, and Inuyasha felt that he had reached his breaking point.

_I need Kagome. I want Kagome._

Inuyasha punched the tree again, causing it's trunk to snap and the tree to tip over.

_I love Kagome._

Snarling, Inuyasha whirled onto another tree and punched again. _I know she cares about me… but there's no way she loves me. She kissed me to counteract the curse… just like how she kissed me at Princess Kaguya's castle to stop my youkai transformation. She wants to save me from my curse… But I love her. Gods, it fucking hurts how much I love her._

Inuyasha sunk to his knees and pounded his fist on the mossy ground. "That sign would be great right now, mother. Father."

Just behind Inuyasha's lowered head, a stark blue butterfly flittered through the air.

* * *


	8. How I Miss Thee

* * *

Kagome was engaged in casual conversation with Ranmaru when Inuyasha came back to camp. She, immediately, saw the scratches on his knuckles and knew he drove his fist through _something_. An unknown pang shot her heart; _did he punch something because of what he did?_ Kagome decided not to dwell on what happened and focus her energy on what Ranmaru was saying—it would be better for her sanity, anyway.

"And, unfortunately for me, Harue was the only bitch to pass the test."

Kagome glanced over at Harue who flipped her hair over her shoulder and grinned cheekily over at the second-in-command General. "Yeah, yeah, you complain a lot but I know, deep down, you're glad I made the squadron."

"Glad is stretching it." Ranmaru muttered, dryly, which resulted in Harue throwing a pebble at him. Kagome's eyes whizzed over at Ranmaru to see that the pebble had struck him smack dab in the center of his forehead.

"I _really_ hate you, Harue." Ranmaru's voice echoed the hatred he felt, but Harue only shrugged.

"Channel that energy into fight, Ranmaru." Came her philosophical response as she stood up and dusted the seat of her yukata. "Are we headed out now, _Lord Inuyasha_." She purred his name but Inuyasha didn't seem to notice.

"We are. Ranmaru, you take the rear now. Harue, you take the lead. Come," he glanced over his shoulder to catch Kagome's eyes, "Kagome."

Ranmaru gave Kagome a gentle shove. "Go, go, we can't keep our Lord waiting now can we? I'll continue my story at our next pit stop—" Ranmaru leaned forward and murmured in Kagome's ear: "It'll be about how I stumbled upon Harue and Brother Daiki—"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?!" Harue screeched, throwing a larger rock in Ranmaru's direction. Inuyasha's eyes widened but before he could react, Ranmaru shielded Kagome with his body. Not once, though, did the warrior lose his smile.

"Now, now, Harue. Do not let your emotions cloud your judgement. You could've hurt Lady Kagome, and then what would've happened?" Ranmaru's eyes flickered to Inuyasha who had his arm resting on the hilt of his sword.

 _One wrong move, you idiot, and Lord Inuyasha would've hacked you into little pieces_. Ranmaru tried to channel his thought to Harue, but he knew it was to no avail. She was, after all, a pretentious InuYoukai bitch.

Harue, subconsciously, glanced at an angered hanyou before she let her shoulders sag. Ranmaru was right; even though he was purposefully riling her up, she shouldn't let her emotions get the best of her. Despite Ranmaru being a total jerk **most** ( _no, all!)_ of the time, he was a great teacher and she knew that his constant badgering was leading up to some grandiose life lesson.

"Yes, yes... My apologies…" Harue leapt into the tree behind her and began leaping from branch to branch to take the lead. Ranmaru bowed to Inuyasha.

"My apologies, my Lord. I am trying to train Harue to keep her emotions in check—being the only bitch in our squadron is both an honour and a misfortune." Ranmaru stood up and looked over at Kagome. "Not to say I _like_ her, because I don't. But it is my duty to ensure that she is a skilled warrior both emotionally, and physically. Now," he took a step back and threw his scythe over his shoulders. "I will take the rear." Languidly, Ranmaru sauntered off.

Once more, as it were time and time again, Kagome and Inuyasha were alone. Inuyasha adjusted Kagome's backpack and quickly glanced back at her. "You alright? You seem kinda stiff."

 _…_ _stiff?!_ "Whaddya mean by _stiff_?!" Kagome roared and marched up beside Inuyasha. He smirked, but avoided eye contact with her.

"Yeah, stiff. It seems like something's bothering you."

 _More like I'm hot_ and _bothered, you sonofajerk._ Kagome thought in response to Inuyasha's statement. "Nothing is _bothering_ me. I just can't wait to get into a hot spring with Sango."

"You excited to see your family as well?"

Kagome smiled. "Oh, you know I am. It's been a while since I've seen them," Kagome tilted her head to the side and grinned up at Inuyasha. "I haven't bothered you about going back for a while now… for your information."

He rolled his eyes. "I deserve a whole heck of a lot of ramen for suggesting you go home."

"Because my arm is broken! _You_ want me to see a **doctor** and restock on noodles!"

"Your arm being taken care of adequately _and_ we still have a stash of ramen to last a few more days, so there _isn't_ a reason to go back."

"… I broke my arm for you!"

"Again with that?! You broke it because of the stupid demon!" Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Did I _say_ break your arm to save me?! Hell, did I even **say** 'save me'?! No. I didn't. So don't go rubbing it in my face."

Kagome glowered at him, but maintained her languid pace. "Well remind me of that next time I lure a psycho demon _away_ from you!"

"There won't **be** a next time!"

"My apologies for the disrespect, but will you two **shut up**?!" Ranmaru's voice echoed back to the bickering duo, causing them to immediately blush and look away from each other. Inuyasha cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled back at Ranmaru:

"Mind your damn business!"

His laughter reverberated through the trees and Inuyasha glowered at his general direction: "He's a fucking Miroku. Minus the perversion."

The back and forth, however, did achieve what Inuyasha was hoping for: to get Kagome's mind off of his spell of passion. Inuyasha, himself, hadn't a clue what came over him other than his complete desire to _feel_ Kagome. Even at that moment, with her walking silently beside him, he wanted nothing more than to show her how much he cared for her— _more than just a shard detector way._

"About earlier…"

 _Fuck!_ Inuyasha tried to remain calm. He wasn't expecting _her_ to bring it up!

"What about earlier?" He was trying to maintain a persona of calm, cool, and collected. Inuyasha prayed that it was working.

Kagome was blushing and looked anywhere but Inuyasha's direction. "Thank you for helping me get dressed."

… _oh._

"Yeah, better me than Harue." Inuyasha shifted the backpack. "I don't trust her with you… she seems to _really_ want to mate with me so I'd be willing to bet my Tetsusaiga that she's jealous of you." Inuyasha dropped his voice when he murmured the latter part, for fear of Harue hearing them. The lack of the demoness's shriek meant that Inuyasha achieved what he hoped for.

Kagome's left eyebrow cocked and she looked over at him, her blush dissipating. "Come again?" _Did he just say she's jealous of me? First: why the hell would she be jealous of_ _ **me**_ _… and second: when the_ hell _did Inuyasha become so observant?!_

Inuyasha shrugged as if it were common knowledge. "Yeah, jealous. I'm suddenly this prime target for mating because of my newfound titles _and_ this stupid curse and _you're_ the woman I've been travelling with for the last three years." His eyes flickered down to her. "Wouldn't it make sense that she'd be a little jealous if she wanted to mate with me? I mean, who – other than you – knows me better than me? Who – other than you—would be an ideal candidate _to_ mate with me?"

 _HOW?! How are you so mature?!_ Kagome decided she'd just flat out _ask_ the guy! "You make a good point… and on that note, when did you mature so much?" Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched but it went unnoticed by Kagome. "Back at your brother's castle you took Ranmaru and Harue's help without _me_ having to talk to you about it… and now? You're spewing out things that _actually_ make sense."

"Woman…" His voice shook in anger. "I'm not the idiot you unpinned from the tree three years ago, you know. I _have_ grown _and_ matured."

"Hard to believe, sometimes."

"Why I ought'a—" Inuyasha's eyes flickered, rather suddenly, to the path ahead of them. Just as he stopped walking, Ranmaru's voice echoed through the woods.

"IN **COMING**!"

Inuyasha swept Kagome into his arms and lunged out of the way as a giant blast of fire hurtled through the forest. Perched on a tree branch not too far from the explosion, Inuyasha looked to where Harue was supposed to be.

"HARUE?!"

There was a moment of silence before her voice echoed back: "I'M OKAY!"

Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at a slightly shaken Kagome. " _You_ okay?"

Mutely, she nodded. Kagome wasn't expecting to be having a lighthearted conversation with Inuyasha one second and being almost blown to smithereens the next. She craned her neck to look at the burnt trail the fire blast left. "What was that?"

"Beats me," Inuyasha peered to where the fire blast came from. "But I sense no demon, and Ranmaru doesn't sound like he's fighting. Hold on, though." When he felt Kagome tightly trip his haori with her good hand, Inuyasha leapt from the tree and began jumping from treetop to treetop, headed in the direction of where the blast originated

Inuyasha skidded to a halt beside Ranmaru and put Kagome down. Within a matter of seconds, Harue came to stop beside Kagome, peering at a giant crater that sizzled with heat. Inuyasha unsheathed his Tetsusaiga and took an adamant step towards the crater.

"Be careful!" Kagome couldn't help but squeak and Harue looked at her for a moment before turning back to Inuyasha.

"This came out of nowhere," Ranmaru explain as he held his scythe at the ready, prepared to attack anything that should pose a threat to Lord Inuyasha and Lady Kagome. "There was no demon, no entity, and no energy around when the fireball took form."

Harue frowned. "A trap, maybe?"

Ranmaru looked over at Harue. "That's quite possible. A magical trap?"

"Look for clues." Inuyasha commanded. "And Kagome, stay back."

"But—"

" _Stay back_."

There was a note of finality in his voice and Kagome knew better than to argue back with him. If she had a fully functioning arm and could defend herself if need be, she would've put up more of a fight. Unfortunately, though, she couldn't hold a cup of water in her left hand let alone hold her bow as her right arm drew the bowstring. With a defeated sigh, Kagome took a few steps back and watched as Ranmaru and Inuyasha walked the perimeter of the crater. To her surprise, however, Harue hung back alongside her.

"You don't have to—"

"I know." Harue muttered. "But I wanted to ask you something."

"Harue!" Ranmaru looked over. "Watch Lady Kagome. Lord Inuyasha and I are going to do a quick scout of the perimeter."

Harue nodded and, within seconds, the two demons leapt off with their weapons drawn. With nobody else around, Harue fully turned to Kagome and crossed her arms in front of her. "Why is Lord Inuyasha so drawn to you?"

Kagome took a step back and raised both eyebrows in surprise. "What?!"

"Why is Lord Inuyasha so drawn to you?" Harue repeated. "I don't want to say that I can seduce any youkai I want, but I can. Very rarely has one refuted my advances… but Lord Inuyasha? It's as if no other woman matters to him other than you."

Kagome's eyes widened, locked with Harue's. _What is she saying?!_

"I just want to know what you do that draws him to you so." Harue shrugged one shoulder. "It isn't a surprise that Lord Inuyasha will rule the West alongside Lord Sesshomaru as well as take his rightful claim as the Prince of the North—he's the perfect mating candidate, and now that he is forced to take a mate I can assure you, Lady Kagome," Harue took a step towards Kagome but it wasn't malicious. Kagome held her ground, regardless. "That bitches from all subtribes of the InuYoukai Clan will make their intentions known to Lord Inuyasha."

"Then that's their problem and his." Kagome muttered and Harue threw her head back with a sarcastic laugh.

"No, it isn't." She said as she plopped down with her legs crossed. "Sit, Lady Kagome. All this physical exertion must be tiring."

Eyeing the youkai warily, Kagome did as she was told. She watched as Harue unsheathed her blades and kept them beside her, in grabbing distance.

"Ranmaru must've made his thoughts clear to you, that InuYoukai women are pretentious and seek title and gold only." Kagome was shocked to hear Harue echo the very words that Ranmaru said. "But that isn't the case…" Harue exhaled loudly. "InuYoukai women are _very_ aware of their wiles." Harue began explaining, but didn't maintain eye contact with Kagome. "We know what we want and how to get that—perhaps that's what gives us a pretentious aura. Unfortunately it is bred into us, each and every single one of us—youkai, or otherwise."

Kagome knew Harue meant _hanyou_ as well.

"It is not unnatural to want a mate that can provide for you. Don't humans seek husbands that will care for them and protect them until their dying breath?" Harue, finally, looked over at Kagome. The human girl didn't react, though, just simply listening to Harue spill her heart. "Lord Sesshomaru had, once, unintentionally made his desire clear that he would like to ask for Rin's hand when she is old enough to decide what she wants. Lord Inuyasha was never in the picture—but when he finally appeared, all the bitches had the same thought: an eligible bachelor dog prince."

"But you hate hanyou!" Kagome finally interjected. "Your clan exiled him."

"Our clan _elders_ did." Harue spat. "There are quite a number of us that do not have any issues with mixed breeds. Did you not see the hanyou pups when you came into the village?"

It was true, Kagome _did_ see the pups.

"But the tribe couldn't go against the clan elders. It would've meant immediate and irrevocable exile. Admittedly, much has changed in the two hundred years or so that Lord Inuyasha was born, but regardless, they cast him out." Harue explained. "We couldn't reach out to Lord Inuyasha… and when Princess Izayoi passed away, Lord Inuyasha went into hiding… those who cared for him stopped looking…"

 _There's so much that Inuyasha doesn't know._ Kagome reveled.

"Back to my point. Lord Inuyasha is the perfect mate for his power and riches. Now that he is forced to _take_ a mate—"

"He won't ever take an InuYoukai mate." Kagome said with confidence. Harue's eyes widened but she didn't interrupt Kagome. "I don't know if I'll ever be a contender, but I know for certain that he would never take an InuYoukai."

Harue scrambled to her knees. "What the hell do you mean _a contender_?! Can't you see that he cares so deeply for you?!"

"He has to. We've been together for three years, it's only natural he'd care for me now."

 _She's so blind_! Harue thought, aghast. She would never want to steal another woman's man away from them, but it was even worse when said woman had no idea the man was hopelessly in love with her! All Harue wanted to know what was Kagome did that drew Inuyasha to her… _but it seems that I found the answer._

Harue sat back down with a playful smirk. "You, human, are very interesting."

Kagome grinned back at her. "What? No _Lady Kagome_?"

"That title is reserved for Lord Inuyasha's mate." Harue cracked her neck. "Unfortunately, you aren't _just_ a contender. You're the _only_ contender. So when the day happens, you will earn my respect again."

Kagome balked. " _HUH?!_ "

"I'm not a mate stealer, Kagome." Kagome felt that, perhaps, she and Harue bonded just a little. "I am not your foe. I have no qualms against humans—your kind amuses me and confuses me, but I do not innately hate you." Harue glanced to the left and began to stand up.

"They've returned." Sheathing her weapon, Harue stretched her arm out for Kagome to take a hold of. "My apologies if I have offended you in any way."

Smiling, Kagome took a hold of her hand and pulled herself up from her sitting position. "So long as you consider me a friend, you're forgiven."

"Hmm, a human friend?" Harue grinned. "I guess there's a first for everything."

"Nothing." Ranmaru called out as he and Inuyasha approached the two women. Inuyasha sheathed his weapon and came to a halt just a few steps in front of Harue and Kagome, eyeing them both suspiciously.

"You two were gossiping." He accused and Kagome rolled her eyes. "You both look like how you and Sango did after bathing!"

"Women-talk," Kagome informed Inuyasha. "Harue and I just needed a little bonding session."

"Traitor!" Ranmaru called out playfully and Harue shot him a glare.

"So you both found nothing?" Harue inquired, turning her attention back to Lord Inuyasha – a man she could admire from afar but know that it would never be anything more. All the better, anyway… forcing somebody to mate with her would cause her grief in her semi-immortal lifetime.

Inuyasha shook his head. "No. It's a little suspicious."

"I think you're onto something about the trap though, Harue." Ranmaru muttered. "Grab a sample from the crater?"

Harue nodded and stepped away from the group to gather a few singed leaves and burned rocks. Ranmaru fully approached Inuyasha and Kagome, a look of worry in his eyes. "This seems incredibly unnatural."

Inuyasha half turned, his body facing Kagome but his head facing Ranmaru. "Unfortunately, this shit is normal for us." Inuyasha turned back to Kagome. "You haven't sensed anything, right?"

"Righ—" Kagome's voice faltered and her eyes locked onto the one thing she didn't want to see.

_Shinidamachu._

Inuyasha's eyes followed Kagome's gaze before cursing under his breath. "Not now…" He turned back to Kagome. "I won't be long." Finally, he glanced at Ranmaru: "Watch her for me."

"Where are you—"

Inuyasha leapt off, not hearing the rest of Ranmaru's question.

"Going…"

Harue returned with a satchel filled with samples and frowned. "Where did he run off to? I didn't catch the conversation."

"Nowhere." Kagome said, dully. "Let's just slowly continue to Goshinboku Village. He'll scent us."

"But—"

Kagome shot Ranmaru a look that was both sullen and angry. "Please?"

Harue knew something happened and idly glanced at her commander. "I think we should comply with Kagome's request."

Ranmaru, though hesitant, nodded and rested his scythe back on his shoulders. It was his favourite way of carrying his weapon. "Fine. But we all stick together, understood?"

No more words were exchanged as the trio began a very languid walk to the village that Kagome hailed from. Despite telling herself that Inuyasha owed Kikyo something, her heart still hurt from the pain of knowing that the man she loved, loved somebody else.

_Would he have chosen her if she was alive and he needed to take a mate?_

Who was she kidding… _if she was alive; he and I would never have met._

Her internal turmoil did not go unnoticed by Harue.

_.xx._

Kagome recognized the path that they were on and knew that they were incredibly close to the village. The entire time she was fighting back tears—it _had_ to have been a few hours and Inuyasha still hadn't returned. Sure, they left the spot where he had told them to wait but it shouldn't have taken him _that_ long to find them… _should it?_

"I smell the village." Ranmaru proclaimed and Kagome fought the urge to roll her eyes.

_I know that. I've been living in this village for three years…_

"Lady Kagome!"

The three of their heads turned to the sound of the voice; it was a farmer that was sowing his field.

"Yukito!"

"Where is Inuyasha?"

"Running an errand!" Kagome smiled at him. "How are the wife and kids?"

"Ahh, they're doing great. Kaya is pregnant."

Kagome beamed. "I'm so happy to hear! I'm sure Aoi will love being an elder sister."

"I hope you're right. Anyway, good to see you! Gotta continue tending to the fields."

With a final wave, Yukito returned his attention back to his work and Kagome, Harue, and Ranmaru continued the final leg of their trek to Goshinboku Village. Harue, who was relatively silent the entire time, finally spoke.

"You're well respected, Kagome."

"They've come to know and respect me." Kagome smiled. "There was a time they were still apprehensive of me."

"Is it to do with your rumoured… _time travelling_ ways?"

Kagome's eyes widened and she looked, in horror, over at a grinning Harue.

Ranmaru's eyes flickered to the two ladies. "Don't pay attention to her, Lady Kagome. Harue indulges in useless gossip from time to time."

"Come, now! It was a ridiculous story and you know it yourself. As if time travel exists." Harue rolled her eyes. "Where _did_ you come from though, Kagome?"

"Mainland." Kagome was quick to answer, a fib she had mastered throughout the years. "I guess fate brought me to the continent. Enough of that!" They finally arrived at the foot of the village. "We're here—I can see myself into the village now. You two can return."

Ranmaru's eyes widened. "But—"

Harue, immediately, knew what Kagome wanted: to be alone. She clapped a hand on her commander's back. "She's right, this _is_ her village. And you saw how protective the villagers are of her. Now, let's race back and report to Lord General… he _did_ say we have some important stuff to do?"

Ranmaru seemed torn but relented to Harue's words. "You're right." He bowed low to Kagome. "It was an honour travelling alongside you. If you _ever_ need anything, please do send word and I will personally see to it." Kagome bowed in return and thanked him for his patience and assistance during their short journey together. When Ranmaru turned around, Harue winked at Kagome and she mouthed _thank you_ to her newfound friend.

With a quick bow, Harue also shared the same sentiment as Ranmaru: "Always at your service… _Lady_ Kagome."

Kagome wanted to laugh at the tone of voice Harue used when using the word _Lady_. A quick bow in Harue's direction was all the duo was waiting for before speeding off, with the winds, in the direction of Sesshomaru's castle. Finally, when she was sure they were out of their range of smell, she let her tears flow and began sprinting in the direction of the Goshinboku. She wanted to be alone—she didn't want to see Miroku or Sango yet.

She didn't want to go back to her time.

She wanted to be _alone_. Very rarely did that happen, and with Inuyasha not being there, it was the perfect time to wallow in her own misery and try to wrap her brain around everything that had happened.

That was happening.

Kagome made it to the Goshinboku without being seen and sunk to her knees in front of the scar left by Inuyasha on the trunk of the tree. Her forehead was pressed against the bark and she inhaled deeply, revelling in the nostalgic scent of _Inuyasha_. Her heart pained but she knew it shouldn't—she had no right, no stake on Inuyasha.

He was not hers to claim.

" _KAGOMEEE!_ "

Her eyes snapped open and she, with struggle, got to her feet. Kagome turned around in time to see a panting Inuyasha breaking through the foliage of the forest, sweat pooling at his forehead. His eyes were frantic and his sword drawn, but as soon as his eyes were met with Kagome's everything immediately melted.

"Inu—" She was cut off when she felt herself being gathered into his arms. He had dropped the Tetsusaiga and sprinted to her before she could even blink.

"I told you to wait there!" His voice was tight and his body lightly trembling. "Why did you leave?!"

Kagome fought the fresh wave of tears. "I thought we'd cover ground while you talked to—"

" _Don't ever leave me like that._ " Though still a hanyou, his voice mirror the growl of his youkai. "I came back and had no fucking idea where you were—your scent was everywhere and it took me _forever_ to scout you! Then, when I got close to the village," he was pulling her in closer and closer with every word he whispered, "I scented Ranmaru and Harue and stopped them. They said you dismissed them at the foot of the village and came in _alone_ …" He stressed the final word.

Kagome clutched his haori.

"And then your tears…"

_He smelt my tears…_

"I thought you were hurt."

Inuyasha pulled her out of his chest to study her face, still keeping a grip on her waist. "Don't leave me like that. Ever… please…"

"But you—"

Inuyasha didn't give Kagome the time to respond. He silenced her with his lips, his arms tightening around her waist as if his very last breath depended on Kagome.

The canopy of trees above them parted slightly and a ray of sunlight shone through, haloing around the united Inuyasha and Kagome. Her right arm clung onto Inuyasha for dear life and he, if possible, tightened his hold on her.

The forest surrounding them came to life; the wind howled as the animals danced around them, flittering about. Eyes closed and heart full, Inuyasha sent one final prayer to his parents:

_Thank you… for the sign…_

* * *


	9. The Promise of a Kiss

* * *

Slowly, so that his lips could be against Kagome's for that much longer, Inuyasha pulled away from their kiss but rested his forehead against hers. Kagome's eyes were half-lidded, her lips swollen from the kiss, and her chest rising and falling with shallow pants. Inuyasha's grip tightened on Kagome's waist as he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose.

"Everything okay?" She whispered, her grip on his haori tightening. Inuyasha smiled crookedly, the left side of his mouth curling up.

"Yeah," he breathed, "everything's fine. But don't **ever** go anywhere without telling me, alright?"

"I usually don't…" Kagome huffed and Inuyasha rolled his eyes, though never releasing his hold on her or moving his forehead from being pressed against hers.

"No, wench, you usually _do_." He wasn't allowing any more room for argument as he leaned forward and placed a chaste peck on her lips. Kagome was caught off guard and wasn't in a position to return the kiss.

 _What happened with Kikyo?!_ Kagome was in a state of confusion. She didn't know whether she should _ask_ him or not. He never usually returned from his visits from Kikyo and ravished Kagome's lips— _something definitely happened… but is it alright for me to ask? How do you ask a guy why he's kissing you all of a sudden?_ With a deep sigh, Kagome tried to get her nerves to settle. Finally, Inuyasha released his hold from her and Kagome was quick to realize the coldness air that embraced her body.

 _Inuyasha is warm…_ though she had slept in his arms countless nights, it was the first time he held her affectionately.

"Let's say hi to Miroku and Sango?" Inuyasha was walking to his fallen sword to retrieve it. "Then head back to your time?"

"Inuyasha…"

He glanced at her from over his shoulder. "Nothing happened with Kikyo." It was as if he read her mind. "I just… had awhile to think about things while trying to hunt your measly ass down."

_And he's back._

Kagome couldn't help but smile. Regardless of what passed between them, be it fiery passion or icy anger, he would always go back to being the Inuyasha that she held dear to her heart. And she was glad… glad that no matter what, and no matter how, he would always return to her.

Return to her exactly the same as the Inuyasha she fell in love with three years ago.

_.xx._

Inuyasha's arm was securely gripped around Kagome's waist as they travelled through the essence of time. They met with Sango and Miroku – the former was asleep due to her pregnancy – and Shippo. Kaede wasn't in the village, and Inuyasha didn't want to wait for the old woman to return. During their stroll to the well, however, Kagome expressed that she thought Sango was going to have twins.

 _"_ _How can you tell?"_ Inuyasha asked her in curiosity.

 _"_ _Her stomach is very large, Inuyasha."_ Kagome explained. " _So unless she's having a chubby baby… she's quite possibly having twins."_

Inuyasha had only nodded but chose not to say anything.

When the duo arrived in Kagome's time, Inuyasha leapt out of the well and set Kagome down, allowing her to compose herself before they exited the well hut and began towards the main shrine. Inuyasha's nose was, almost immediately, filled with the dirty smell of smog and his ears were assaulted with the sounds of cars honking and traffic humming. Though he appreciated Kagome's era for its modern conveniences, he abhorred _everything_ else.

"Onee-chan!"

Kagome and Inuyasha both turned to where Souta's excited voice sounded. He bounded out of the shrine and sprinted towards his two most favourite people, coming only to a halt when he saw his sister's arms. Souta's eyes widened…

"What the hell happened to you?!"

Kagome grinned and answered before Inuyasha. "The cons of saving the world, Souta."

Inuyasha could only roll his eyes and decided to offer the truth: "A demon attacked us and your sister was thrown against a wall."

"… still, it's _kinda_ cool." Souta beamed. "How long you two staying for?"

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha who let his shoulders sag. "For as long as it takes her arm to heal perfectly."

Kagome's jaw went slack. She wasn't expecting him to say _that_ … _does he know that it could take up to two months?! Is he_ _ **actually**_ _going to let me stay here for that long?_

"You'll be between here and there, then?" Souta inquired, voicing the very question Kagome was pondering. Inuyasha shook his head, shoving his arms into his haori sleeves.

"Nope, kid. I'll be here the whole time."

"WHAT?!" The Higurashi siblings roared, causing Inuyasha to flatten his furry ears.

"You can't be serious!"

"You're staying the _whole time_ , Inu-nii-chan?!"

"You most definitely are _not_ serious—"

"I can't wait to show you everyth—"

"Will you both shut up?!" Inuyasha screamed, shutting the siblings up. He had decided, while they had their quick chat with Miroku, that he would let Kagome heal in her own time at her own pace and he would be with her the entire time. If Kagome could compromise and give up so much just to help _him_ and be with _him_ in _his_ era, the least he could do was stay with her for a few weeks…

_Stupid Kikyo…_

"What about the Shikon no Tama?" Souta asked, and Kagome followed up with:

"And… spring season?"

Inuyasha looked from Souta to Kagome and back again. "The Shikon no Tama can wait, it's been three years, what's a couple more weeks? Besides," Inuyasha ushered to the vial hanging around Kagome's neck, "Naraku can't do anything without her shards. And he damn well can't find us here."

Souta seemed content with the answer. Then, Inuyasha glanced at Kagome.

"And about _that_ … we can talk about that tonight… if you want?"

Kagome nodded, dumbly, not knowing what else to say. The Inuyasha before going to see Kikyo and the Inuyasha beside her now were two _totally_ different people. He had an epiphany, that was for sure, and Kagome was anxious to find out exactly what it was.

"Anyway, I smell your mom's yakitori." Inuyasha's mouth was watering. "Let's eat and then… find you a doctor?"

The trio looked at Kagome's broken arm and Souta voiced the question that all of them were thinking: "How the hell are you going to explain how you broke your arm and why you have such an archaic way of bandaging it?"

"… we'll figure it out." Kagome mumbled. "All I can think of _now_ is mom's yakitori."

Souta rolled his eyes but followed his sister and her companion into their shrine.

_.xx._

"You see," Kaori Higurashi said in between bites of her yakitori. "Your Jii-chan and I have been doing some… _research_."

Kaori was rightfully distraught when she saw the state of her daughter. Despite being an unusually supportive mother, Kaori muttered phrases akin to ' _shouldn't have let you go to Sengoku Jidai'_ and ' _I should've known, with demons rampaging about'_ and, finally, ' _thank God for Inuyasha! Kagome may have been taken from me altogether if it weren't for him.'_ Kagome decided to keep her mouth shut, as her mother had never once said anything to deter her from going to Feudal Japan over the last three years. It was the first time Kagome returned home with such a big injury; her mother was allowed.

"What kind of research?" Souta asked, with his mouth full.

Kaori glanced at Kagome before resting her eyes on Inuyasha. "Well… I was beginning to get a little curious. Based on what you've said to me, you age incredibly slow… correct?"

Inuyasha nodded. It wasn't because he had nothing else to say, it was simply because his mouth was overstuffed with food and he wasn't able to swallow in time to verbally reply to Kagome's mom.

"So I was beginning to wonder: if Inuyasha is over two hundred years old but looks to be in his twenties in human years… there _has_ to be youkai and hanyou in this time, right?" Kaori watched as Kagome, Inuyasha, and Souta's eyes widened in curiosity and wander. Souta dropped his chopsticks and Inuyasha swallowed, with _great_ difficulty.

"You're… on to something." Souta finally said and Kaori nodded.

"I thought so to. They don't look like demons… I mean, not like Inuyasha or otherwise, so they're probably masking their real physical appearance, right?" Kagome and Souta nodded slowly, but Inuyasha resumed stuffing his face. "So Jii-chan and I began to do some digging… visiting places together so Jii-chan can sense their spiritual aura—"

Inuyasha had to cut Kaori off. "The old man can't sense spiritual powers for shit—"

"Shut up, boy." Jii-chan threw a bread roll at Inuyasha's head, hitting him smack in the middle of his forehead. "I knew you were a demon before I even met you!"

"That's where you're wrong—I'm a hanyou!"

Kagome sighed. "Inuyasha…"

He recognized the tone of her voice and instantly shut up, ushering for an amused Kaori to continue.

"I was thinking that if we found a doctor who was a youkai, or otherwise, then maybe we can use him or her as a confidant." Kaori bit her lower lip. "… maybe not tell them that you two manipulate time, but come up with a story that could back up the demonic injuries you sustain. This way you receive modern day treatment from somebody of your kind." Kaori nodded at Inuyasha. "And Kagome can receive treatment specific to demon injuries as well."

Inuyasha leaned back and Kagome grinned stupidly. "I'll be a monkey's uncle!"

Souta chortled at his sister's obvious excitement. "Mama, you clearly are smarter than you lead us to believe."

"I resent that." Kaori mumbled cutely which caused her son to laugh. Kagome grinned happily over at Inuyasha for a brief moment before turning back to her mother.

"So you found a doctor?"

Kaori nodded and slipped a business card in her daughter's direction. Kagome picked it up and read the name and practicing office:

 _Dr. S. Takahashi, M.D._  
Ayakashi Medical Group  
03 5446 XXXX

"That office name's not giving it away _at all_." Inuyasha muttered sarcastically, but Kagome studied the card for a moment longer. Finally, she placed it down in front of her.

"I hope they have an appointment soon." She prayed aloud and Kaori nodded, showing her agreement.

Inuyasha picked up the card and studied it for a brief second before saying, "Call and see if they have something today?"

Kaori shook her head as the question left Inuyasha's lips. "Doubtful, it's almost the end of the day. But I do agree with Inuyasha," Kagome's eyes went up to meet her mother's. "Call and see if you can get the _earliest_ appointment."

Kagome nodded and excused herself, hurrying to her room so that she could make the call. Inuyasha eyed her yakitori and, without asking, inhaled it in one fell swoop and bounded up the stairs to Kagome's room. Souta's jaw was slack and Kaori was shaking her head in amusement.

"Kids." Jii-chan muttered as he, too, excused himself to perform his evening prayers.

"I guess you're helping me clear the table," Kaori winked at her groaning son.

"Get Nee-chan to—never mind, she has a broken arm." Souta hauled himself up and began to clear the table as his mother went to pack away the uneaten food.

_.xx._

"New patient," Inuyasha heard Kagome say as he entered her room. She turned to look at him before returning her attention back to her corded landline.

"Yes. Umm… yes, I do understand this is a _special_ clinic."

Inuyasha's ears tweaked so he could focus in on the person talking on the other end.

 _'_ _We have a cancellation at noon for tomorrow. Are you able to come in? I can book you in with Dr. Takahashi.'_

Kagome didn't hesitate to confirm the appointment and promptly hung up the phone. Her shoulders were tense and Kagome felt her muscles relax when she allowed them to drop… the day, as a whole, was beginning to get to her and she needed to soak herself in a tub. Unfortunately, given the state of her arm, she couldn't even do _that_.

"Tomorrow at noon?" Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow and Kagome nodded. He kicked the door shut behind them and removed his sword, leaning it up against the door as he normally did when he stayed in Kagome's time.

"Yep," Kagome stifled her yawn. "It's not like I _need_ to see a doctor." Kagome glanced at her well-bandaged arm. "The InuYoukai women did a pretty decent job bandaging me up. A few more trips and my arm should, more or less, be healed."

"Yeah, sure, but I'd rather you be healed using modern medicine." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Those damn herbs have nothing on your Tylenol things."

Kagome couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't often that Inuyasha praised modern conveniences, but when he did it was always funnily adorable. Kagome pulled her legs up and pressed it against her chest as Inuyasha sat on the bed beside her, his back leaned against the wall.

"It'll be weird to sleep on a bed tonight," Kagome revealed. "I haven't been home in _so_ long… well, for the night, anyway."

It was true. For quite some time, Kagome had done only day trips to her era for the sole reason to restock supplies. It has been quite some time since she has actually _slept_ in her room, on her bed, under a blanket. Inuyasha's eyes flickered to her and he took a moment to study her profile: her raven black tresses were cascading down, framing her face almost perfectly. She was still in her yukata from Feudal Japan, but she seemed so comfortably modern in it.

Without thinking, Inuyasha reached over and tucked her stray lock of hair behind her ear. Kagome, shocked, looked up and caught Inuyasha's eyes. Her breath was stolen from her when she saw the raw passion reflecting in his ochre orbs. She, subconsciously, dropped her eyes to look at his lips and, once again subconsciously, she licked her lips. All of that did not go unnoticed by Inuyasha.

Time stood still between them. Kagome's eyes moved back up to lock with Inuyasha's and everything that surrounded them seemed to disappear; sounds, smell, _atmosphere_. Inuyasha brought his right hand up and cupped Kagome's face, in which she naturally leaned in to. Slowly, his head began leaning towards hers and Kagome moved her chin up to angle herself with his lips.

Slowly, she began to close her eyes as he moved closer…

Waiting.

 _Anticipating_ …

"Fuck…" Inuyasha hissed and Kagome's eyes snapped open. The hand that was on her cheek was gripping at his haori and, immediately, Kagome knew it was the curse. Scrambling to her knees, she slipped her right hand over the hand on his chest and pressed her forehead against his already sweaty one.

"Inuyasha," her voice came out gentle but firm. She needed him to _hear_ her voice. With strain, Inuyasha opened his eyes and struggled to meet Kagome's. His breathing was laboured and he was beginning to lose the spark in his eyes… somehow, _someway_ , Kagome knew that the pain he was experiencing was far worse than any other time the curse hit him.

Following her instincts, as she did on the tree not too long ago, Kagome closed the distance between them and covered his lips with her own. Not instantaneously, unlike the last time, Inuyasha's laboured breathing and death grip on his haori stopped. His body, tense as a wire, began to relax under the ministrations of Kagome's lips. When she felt him lean in to and return the kiss with growing vigour, she stopped and pulled back to study his face.

"Better?" She whispered and he nodded, bringing the hand that was on his chest to, once again, cup Kagome's face. His other hand slinked around her waist and, expertly, he pulled and turned her around so that she was nestled on his lap, as she would have been if they were on a tree branch.

"Can I ask you something?" His voice was a little shaky from the attack of the curse, but he was able to keep it fairly under control.

Kagome nodded, unable to find her voice. Her heart was pounding against her chest and she was afraid that if she opened her mouth, she'd say something she would _probably_ regret. Like: _I love you so much it hurts, Inuyasha._

"Why do you want to mate with me?"

Kagome's eyes widened and she tried to wrestle against him so that she could look at him. Unfortunately, Inuyasha had a strong hold on her and refused to let her get up off of him. After a moment of struggling, Kagome relented and made herself comfortable back in Inuyasha's lap.

"You… are my best friend." She managed to meekly say. "I want to always be there for you… always… no matter what."

Inuyasha was silent, for just a moment, before following up with another question. "If it weren't for the curse… would you still want to mate with me?"

Kagome didn't have to hesitate. "I would, yes."

"Why?"

"Because I always want to be with you." Kagome croaked. "I can't imagine a life without you… without fighting demons side-by-side and fighting you about stupid things. Life in my era would be ridiculously boring without you…"

Inuyasha's forehead was pressed against Kagome's shoulder blades. Kagome was beginning to wonder if all of this had something to do with Kikyo, but couldn't find it in herself to ask him.

"I… asked my mother and father for a sign." Inuyasha finally whispered. "A sign that would let me know that it was okay to be with you…" He tightened his hold on her. "To mate with you."

Kagome really wanted to turn and face him but his hold was only tightening on her.

"Kikyo gave me that sign."

That was Kagome's chance. "What did you two talk about?"

"That… isn't important right now." Inuyasha murmured. "I'll tell you, but right now there are more important things to talk about."

"Like what?"

"Like us…"

Kagome's heart was hammering and she felt like her ribcage was going to shatter and that her heart was going to burst out of her chest. Finally, Inuyasha released her and Kagome was quick to turn around and meet his eyes—she wanted to see his face while she heard his voice.

"What about us?" Her voice was hardly above a whisper.

"… I never thought I'd ever mate with anybody." Inuyasha sighed. "I never thought I'd be good enough _to_ be anybody's mate…"

Kagome was silent. She knew it took Inuyasha an extremely long time to get to the point where he could tell her about all of his feelings, so she wasn't going to interrupt him anytime soon.

"In fact," Inuyasha's eyes shifted to look anywhere but at Kagome. "I was ready to become human to _marry_ Kikyo… since she didn't want to take a hanyou mate." He returned his gaze to her unwavering one. "But you… ever since I met you, I've become to be… _proud_ of who I am… of _what_ I am."

Kagome visibly gulped.

"Besides you, I've never wanted to mate with anybody else… because I know you'll always take care of me, whether I am human or full demon. And I'll always protect you… no matter which of my bloodline takes over." Inuyasha brought a hand up to tuck her stray locks behind her ear, once again.

"We probably won't find the Shikon no Tama in time to wish the curse away. We'll probably be here for quite some time so that your arm can heal… in fact, it'll probably take us right in to spring." Inuyasha's hand moved to curl around the back of Kagome's neck. "I need you to understand that canines mate for life, Kagome."

Kagome was shaking. She couldn't find the will to speak or the power to move. Inuyasha shocked her to another realm altogether.

"If you die, I die… and if I die, you will too. Unless we have pups." Inuyasha had no intention of either option happening, but he had to give her full disclosure. "If you were to ever leave me… you would never be able to mate with anybody else for as long as we live…"

"And what if you leave me?" Her whisper sounded foreign even to her own ears.

"Impossible." Inuyasha was beginning to guide her closer with the hand that was curled around the back of her neck. "I'd never leave you… hell, I follow you through the tides of time."

Kagome, despite herself, cracked a smile.

"Your lifespan will be lengthened to match mine… you'll be near immortal, outliving all of our friends… and your family." Inuyasha's eyes searched hers. "Is that something you can live with?"

"Will you be with me?"

"Forever." He promised.

"Then yes…"

Inuyasha couldn't hear his own voice over the loud thundering of his heart. He had ensured to get all of the nitty gritty details from his brother before departing his castle, _in the event_ he chose to mate with Kagome. His meeting with Kikyo, however, sealed his fate and he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the woman that captured his heart and soul would be the only woman he would ever be with.

"Kagome?" Their foreheads were touching now.

"Yes, Inuyasha?"

"Will you be my mate?"

Her lips curled up.

"Yes, Inuyasha…"

And they sealed their promise with a kiss.

* * *


	10. Chrono Paradox

* * *

In Inuyasha's meagre existence, there had never been a moment that he woke up as happy as he did _that_ morning. Curled up in his arms, still in the yukata she wore the previous day, was his future mate.

_Mate._

A stupid grin spread wide across his face. _Never thought I'd see the day…_

It had taken a while for Kagome to fall asleep. She was no longer used to sleeping indoors and on a bed, but, the comfort and familiarity of Inuyasha's body heat lulled Kagome into a dreamless slumber. Inuyasha, as gently as possible, craned his neck to glance at the digital clock set up on Kagome's desk and noted that it was almost ten in the morning. He knew they had to go to Kagome's doctor appointment around noon and it was about time that he roused her from her sleep.

He turned his attention back to the raven-haired goddess that nestled in his arms. Again, involuntarily of course, a goofy smile broke across Inuyasha's features. Gently, as if she was fragile porcelain, Inuyasha trailed the tip of his index claw down the length of her cheek and watched her lip twitch into a small smile.

"Wench?" His voice was a husky purr, his intention to wake her but his desire was not to. Kagome shifted, just slightly, but made no move to wake up and Inuyasha decided he'd half-heartedly try again. Bringing his lips next to her ear, he said her name in a breathy whisper.

" _Kagome_?"

Groaning – a sound that went straight to Inuyasha's groin –, Kagome cracked open an eye lazily and tried to stifle a jaw-splitting yawn. Inuyasha watched her go through her morning wake-up routine before he decided to say anything. With her right arm, Kagome rubbed the sleep from her eyes before looking at Inuyasha.

"Morning," she grumbled.

"You have to get ready, we need to head out to your appointment soon." He said, and Kagome found it oddly domestic. He would soon – Kagome assumed 'soon' – be her mate and husband, and he was already living up to the part.

 _Or he always_ did _do the part but I'm only seeing it now._ Her inner angel rationalized, causing warmth to spread through her body.

After their promise kiss last night, Kagome and Inuyasha snuggled up to one another and basked in each other's glory. It was the first time, in a long time, that they were able to enjoy each other's presence without the fear of a youkai attack… and they enjoyed it. The entire night, Inuyasha gently caressed her right arm and, every so often, would push stray locks of her hair off of her face. While Kagome was trying to force herself to sleep, his gentle touch would cause a course of electricity to shoot through her veins, burning every nerve in her system.

Her need, desire, and love for him surpassed anything else she had ever felt. It was dangerous, scary, but most of all… the most comforting feeling experienced.

They hadn't talked about the logistics of mating; Kagome assumed that would naturally come and didn't want to push the topic. After many years of travelling together, he chose to mate with her. Despite the curse being a catalyst in the decision, he chose _her_ and she wasn't going to let anybody… or any _thing_ take that moment from her.

"Yeah," Kagome said to his previous statement before moving to sit up. Inuyasha was quick to help her and she shot him a broad smile.

"I'm going to take a quick bath… go down and grab breakfast?"

His nod was curt, but that was only because he wanted to lean forward and kiss the lips of his mate… _mate,_ that was a word that he could get used to.

_.xx._

Because of his frequent visits, Kaori ensured that she had a small wardrobe for Inuyasha in the event he needed to be seen in public. As Kagome's doctor trip was such an event, Inuyasha decided to peruse through his modern day clothing to pick, what he deemed to be, a suitable outfit.

Though he wasn't a fan of modern day attire, due to them being restrictive in nature, he had to admit that there was a certain charm to them. Inuyasha opted to wear form-fitting khaki pants with a grey-blue button up shirt. The sleeves of said shirt were rolled up and tucked just beneath his elbow. After a quick gander at his shoe stock, Inuyasha retrieved a pair of dark brown loafers. Tucking his kotodama underneath his shirt, he managed to fasten his sword to his back and slipped into a jacket, effectively hiding the Tetsusaiga.

Satisfied with his outfit choice, Inuyasha bound up the stairs to his future-mate's room and opened the door without knocking. Instantaneously, the air was sucked out of his lungs when his eyes came to rest on Kagome. She had slipped into a bright yellow sundress with a zip running up her side and matched it with a floppy wide-brimmed hat. A white sweater lay resting on her left shoulder, both a fashion statement and something practical, should it get a little chilly.

"You're looking sharp," Kagome grinned at him and Inuyasha had to stop and glance at himself.

"Yeah. Well… _keh…_ "

Kagome giggled. "You're welcome. Need to do your hair?"

Sheepishly, Inuyasha nodded and Kagome's grin widened. "I'd love to help, but I can't. We have to get mama."

"But—" _I don't want anybody other than Kagome touching my hair…_

 **'** **But this is our mate's mother, so do as our mate asks.'**

The rumble of his inner youkai consumed his soul and Inuyasha waited for his human voice to chime in. When it didn't come, Inuyasha's shoulders sagged—that only meant his human blood agreed.

"Fine."

Kagome grabbed a wallet off of her desk and moved to exit her room. "Come on! Let's go quick, the bus is coming soon."

Grumbling incoherently, Inuyasha allowed Kagome to drag him out of the room. Though reluctant, he couldn't help but feel joy at the sensation of Kagome's fingers encircled around his wrist.

_.xx._

Kaori braided Inuyasha's hair and tucked his fuzzy appendages underneath his lion-like mane. It was Inuyasha's go-to hairstyle when he needed to make public appearances in Kagome's era; it was the most effective and least painful.

"It's quite nice out," Kagome observed, "but… I can _taste_ the smog."

"Smog?"

"A modern day _in_ convenience." Kagome murmured. Inuyasha nodded as if he understood, but he truly didn't. Inuyasha was dumbstruck at how Kagome was voicing her complaints about things in her _own_ era— _as if she belongs to my time, not this…_ That thought cause a warm gnawing feeling to erupt in the pit of Inuyasha's stomach.

"I had Souta look in to where Ayakashi Medical Group is," Kagome glanced over her shoulder to look at Inuyasha who, out of an old habit, walked just half a step behind her. Though he had gotten better at walking in tandem, his old habit kicked in when they were in Kagome's era; it was so that he could keep an eye on her and grab her to avoid unforeseen threats. As ironic as it was, Inuyasha was more comfortable in his era than hers—though demons ran rampant, he was at least able to sense them.

Inuyasha had yet to sense a demon in Kagome's era and that thought bothered him. Her mother made a good point: _where were the youkai?_ Inuyasha knew his elder brother was centuries old, and his old man was a few millennia old before he died.

So it was highly unlikely that all demons and half-demons were eradicated in the five short hundred years between his era and Kagome's.

"It isn't too far but we have to get a taxi."

Inuyasha said nothing but simply watched as his mate flagged down a yellow taxi and climb into the back. He had ridden those blasted contraptions before, and he hated every second of it. Once he was sure Kagome was secured in the back seat, Inuyasha slid into the front and gave the driver a curt nod.

"Ayakashi Medical Group," he commanded and the taxi driver was off. It had taken him some time, but the constant travelling between the two eras allowed him to get somewhat comfortable in navigating Kagome's era.

The taxi was off. It weaved expertly between cars, driving into the heart of the city. Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder to see Kagome watching the buildings pass by. "Hey," he called out and Kagome's eyes flickered over to catch his. "Wanna grab lunch before heading home?"

Her face cracked into a grin and Inuyasha could've sworn his heart leapt into his throat. _She's so fucking beautiful._

"Sounds good!"

He gave her a half smile and turned back around in his seat. _This era is horrendous, but if it means I can take her out to eat and have her smile at me like that, I'll gladly fucking endure it._

_.xx._

A tall gleaming structure welcomed Inuyasha and Kagome. His arms were crossed over his chest as he walked behind Kagome, into the medical building. A disgusting smell of _illness_ assaulted his nose but Inuyasha did well to hide his discomfort. He was doing this for his _mate_ —he'd put up with it.

Inuyasha hung back as she checked in at the desk. He saw her smile at the receptionist and answer the questions the lady had to ask: 'Higurashi Kagome', 'Eighteen years old', 'Living at the Higurashi Shrine'.

 _Keh, no you aren't._ But Inuyasha knew she couldn't say she lived five hundred years in the past with a half-demon. _Pretty sure they'd lock her in a 'crazy room' for saying that._

 **'** **I'd fucking kill anybody who touched my mate and put her in a fucking crazy room.'** Somehow, Inuyasha was not surprised when his demon blood roared to life.

 _'_ _I'm sure hanyou meant that sarcastically, youkai.'_

 **'** **Shut up, ningen.'**

Inuyasha ignored his two bloods and they were quick to shut up. When Kagome excused herself from the front desk, Inuyasha decided to push himself off of the wall he was leaning on and met her halfway through the waiting room.

"We wait," her shoulder sagged and he nodded. They both took a seat the farthest from the front desk. Kagome leaned her head against the wall and Inuyasha had his arms crossed, again.

"How are you gonna explain the arm?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"Demon attack at the shrine." Kagome answered, almost instantaneously. "I'm sure there are rogue demons around… and seeing as this is a demon medical centre, I'm sure it's not an unusual reason."

Inuyasha nodded, slowly. Her excuse was reasonable, so he would accept it. _Even if her excuse was unreasonable, I don't care. I just want her arm to get better._ Inuyasha found it absolutely amazing that once their fates were sealed, his desire to give her affection skyrocketed. He was already willing to lay the stars at her feet, but now that he knew she would be his mate and the mother to his pups, he wanted to give her the _universe_.

 _Universe…_ a concept he didn't know existed until he met Kagome. Before that, he merely assumed there were the sun, the earth, and the stars. To know there were many other planets in an infinite space was awe inspiring. And it was that very infinite space that he wanted to gather and give to his mate.

Even then, it wouldn't be enough.

"We need to… um…" Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow when Kagome began stuttering.

"We need to what?" He pushed but noticed a light blush travel down Kagome's neck. _What is she tryna say?_

"We need to figure out the whole… mating thing."

His loins burst to life, once again. That seemed to be happening a lot, as of late, but it wasn't his fault! _The wench will be naked underneath me… and I'm a young and virile fucking hanyou._ Inuyasha had yet to figure out if he was trying to convince himself or otherwise.

"We will deal with that after we deal with your arm." _Since when am I the fucking reasonable one?!_ "Spring isn't here yet, so we have time."

"But we need to—"

"Get you pregnant, I know." His chest almost burst with the mere thought of Kagome carrying his pups. He wasn't worthy of all the gifts that were being bestowed to him, but far be it for Inuyasha to deny anything. _I deserve all of this shit for all the shit I put up with._ "But we will cross that bridge when we get there. Let's figure out your arm and then figure out _us_."

Kagome bit her lower lip and nodded. Inuyasha turned away from her and leaned his head against the wall behind him, closing his eyes in the process. _Being reasonable is tiring…_

"Higurashi?"

Inuyasha cracked his eye open in time to see Kagome stand.

"Yes?"

"Please proceed to room two."

Kagome looked over at Inuyasha who was already standing up. "Let's go?"

Inuyasha nodded and gently placed his left hand on the small of her back, guiding her through a narrow corridor and in through a door that had a rusting number two nailed to it. Once inside, Kagome took a seat on the examination table and Inuyasha, on the chair beside the table.

"Nervous?" Inuyasha asked and Kagome smiled at him.

"A little. Why, is it obvious?"

"Wench, I'd be able to tell even if I was fucking human." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Quit fidgeting. You're only getting your broken arm checked out."

Kagome glared at him. "Well, yeah, but I have to lie through my teeth about how I got the injury!"

"Just tell the damn doctor you broke your arm for me." His eyes were gleaming. The brat was teasing her and Kagome had half a mind to _osuwari_ him into the underground parking garage. Before she could open her mouth to retort, the door (which had been slightly ajar), was pushed open and a copper-haired man entered, holding a clipboard.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Takahashi and you must be—" the doctor looked up from the clipboard with his eyes wide. Inuyasha stood up, his own eyes bulging and Kagome's jaw was slack.

"Shippo…?"

"Okaa-san?"

There was a slight pause.

" **What** did you call her?!"

Kagome's mind was blank, but Shippo turned to a clearly confused but enraged hanyou. "Shit! You're here too?!"

"Of-fucking-course I'm here. Where else would _I_ be?! What are **you** doing here?!"

"Oh, god!" Shippo rubbed his temples. "This is weird… I work here… I'm Doctor Shippo Takahashi… This is my medical centre?"

"But we just left you with Miroku and Sango!" Inuyasha roared, jabbing an accusatory finger at Shippo. Kagome could only watch the situation unfold, unsure of how to react or what to say: her baby Shippo was standing before her in a doctor's coat, calling her _okaa-san_?!

"No," Shippo bit his lower lip. "You left the me from Feudal Japan with Miroku and Sango. I'm Shippo of _this_ era."

"Huh?!" Inuyasha was just as confused as Kagome was.

Shippo sat down in his doctor's chair and ushered for Inuyasha to sit. Through reluctant, Inuyasha sat down with an unceremonious _plop_ and glared with all the ferocity he had at Shippo. The kitsune doctor pulled his silver rimmed glasses off and placed it on his desk.

"I'm the Shippo that lived through time," he revealed, his hazel eyes watching the couple. "This is me, five hundred years in the future that _belongs_ in this era. The Shippo you two left is the same me, but five hundred years in the past." He studied Inuyasha and Kagome's expression, both showing blatant confusion.

Finally, Kagome spoke: "So you aren't _our_ Shippo?"

Shippo shook his head. "Not technically. I'm the Shippo of the twenty-first century."

"And… us?" Kagome's voice cracked and Shippo had an apologetic look on his face.

"That I can't tell you… because of the Chrono Paradox."

"Huh?!" Inuyasha responded, brilliantly. Shippo glanced over at him and began to explain what he said.

"The Chrono Paradox is a youkai belief that everything in time isn't set in stone, and that knowledge of the definitive future can irrevocably alter the past." Shippo's eyes flickered from Inuyasha's, to Kagome's, and back to Inuyasha's.

Shippo clarified his statement when he saw that his old companions looked confused. "This means that I can't tell you what happened to you both because you will, without a doubt, do something that'll alter the past, which'll alter the future."

"Kind of like the multiverse theory?" Kagome asked but Shippo shook his head.

"Not really. That theory implies infinite timelines. Chrono Paradox believes in only three timelines: the past, the present, the future. Therefore if you learn something definitive about your future, you will do something differently in the past that alters the course of the future… meaning the possible death of somebody who isn't supposed to die…" Shippo picked his glasses up and put them on again, "or the unusual resurrection of somebody who has already died. But this happens only in the existing timelines, not creating a new parallel universe altogether."

"The fuck are you two _talking about_?" Inuyasha roared. "The hell is a multiverse?!"

"I'll… explain later." Kagome sighed. "This is just… I can't… can you tell me who else lived through time?"

Shippo smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, I can't. If you bump into us, you'll know, but I can't tell you anything."

"Do we beat the curse of heirs?!" Kagome asked, frantically and Inuyasha's eyes widened.

"I can't say…"

"Are we dead?"

"I can't say…"

"Do we—"

"Okaa—I mean, Kagome…" Shippo's voice was tight. "I can't say."

Inuyasha's eyes were narrowed. "Why do you keep calling her Okaa-san? Or you can't tell us that either?"

Shippo chewed on his lower lip before resigning and sagging his shoulders. "I started calling you Okaa-san when I was younger…" Shippo said. "So it's just a force of habit."

Silence blanketed the trio for what felt like an eternity until Shippo, finally, cleared his throat. "So moving onto business… I suppose you're here because of your arm?"

Kagome glanced down at her archaic sling and nodded. "Yeah. A fight in the feudal era." That was all Kagome was willing to say. She knew that Shippo couldn't reveal anything to her about the future, but that didn't mean she wanted to reveal everything about the past to him either. That fight was one that belonged to her and Inuyasha only… and that was all Shippo needed to know.

"Who slung it?" Shippo inquired as he approached Kagome and studied the sling.

"At first, Kouga's men." Kagome murmured and Shippo's eyes flickered to look at her before turning back to sling. "But then I was re-bandaged by Sesshomaru's demons."

"I see… I'm going to have to run some x-rays before I can sling you again. I'll get the requisition for you and see if I can get you in today, seeing as you're here." Shippo returned to his desk and quickly jotted some things down on his pad before turning back to Kagome.

"When are you going back to the feudal era, Okaa… shit… I mean, Kagome."

Inuyasha, who had chosen to remain silent, simply watched his runt observe his mate.

"Not until I heal." Kagome murmured. "However long that takes."

Shippo nodded. "I can't give you an estimated time yet, but typically it would take six to eight weeks… when did you break it?"

"About a week ago?"

"So we're look at probably just over a month, but I won't know until we do the x-rays." Shippo got up off of his seat. "Give me a second; I'm going to check the x-ray technian's schedule. I'll be back… err… yeah…" He hurried off, shutting the door behind him. Almost immediately, Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other and allowed their jaws to drop.

"Is that actually Shippo?" Kagome breathed and Inuyasha couldn't help but shrug.

"Looks and talks like him… brat's balls dropped so his voice his deeper but… I can't smell him." Inuyasha crinkled his nose. "It's like he's masking his scent somehow."

"And the stuff he was saying about this paradox," Kagome frowned. "He can't tell us if we're alive… or dead."

"I wasn't able to tell from his reaction if he was happy to see us or not." Inuyasha revealed. "But he keeps calling you Okaa-san…"

"I know!" Kagome failed miserably in hiding her smile. Inuyasha simply rolled his eyes.

"That made you happy, didn't it?"

"A little…"

"So predictable."

"Oh, you shut up."

Inuyasha chuckled, shaking his head. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms again, but his eyes didn't leave Kagome's. They were both watching each other, unsure of how to react—"I'm glad he's successful." Inuyasha finally revealed and Kagome cracked a huge grin.

"A medical doctor…"

"I wonder where he got the Takahashi surname from, though." Inuyasha mused. "If he keeps calling you Okaa-san, does that mean you're a Takahashi?"

Kagome considered that. "And if I'm marrying you… does that make _you_ a Takahashi?"

"I feel like we're breaking this paradox thing."

Kagome giggled at Inuyasha's observation. Neither of them knew how to react to the news of Shippo being Kagome's doctor, but Kagome felt like they were handling it well. _How else would somebody react seeing an old friend five hundred years in to the future?_ Kagome was positive she and Inuyasha were handling it well.

Shippo returned looking less rattled than he did when he first saw Kagome and Inuyasha.

"The tech is busy until Friday. Can you come back then? Say around noon?"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, we're fine for then."

"Perfect, I'll book your appointment for then." Shippo shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what else to say. Inuyasha got up off the chair and helped Kagome hop off of the examination table.

"Thanks for your help, runt." Inuyasha mumbled, rather affectionately. Shippo's nostril's flared.

"Don't call me runt, Otou—"

The kitsune clamped his mouth shut.

The hanyou's eyes bulged.

The miko dropped her purse.

Shippo cleared his throat. "Thank you for your visit and we will see you on Friday, Okaa-san… _No!_ Takahashi-san… _FUCK_ , Higurashi. Kagome. _Goddammit!_ " Shippo stormed out of the room, leaving a dumbstruck Inuyasha and Kagome.

"I think he broke the paradox."

Kagome slapped Inuyasha's arm.

* * *


	11. To Be Eternity

* * *

Shippo was nowhere to be seen as Inuyasha and Kagome left his office. Deciding to make a hurried exit, Kagome simply nodded at the receptionist before Inuyasha pushed the door open for her. As she slipped past him, he leaned forward and whispered: _think that's a youkai?_

"Maybe…" Kagome murmured as the glass door slammed shut behind him. "I don't know what to believe anymore…"

"How about lunch, then?" Inuyasha asked as he felt the cash in his pocket feel suddenly heavy. Kaori had given him some cash, which he refused to take willy nilly, so he gave her feudal artifact in exchange.

Kaori had exclaimed how his artifacts were worth more, but he told her he didn't care: he'd exchange them for enough cash to feed Kagome.

His mate.

_My woman._

They were silent for the duration of their cab ride, mostly for the fact they didn't know what to say, but also because they didn't want to discuss time travel in front of their taxi driver. Kagome told the driver to take them to _Sakuratei_ , and proceeded to stare out the window. Inuyasha, who was in the front seat, had his arms crossed as he watched the road.

_The runt's a doctor…_

They arrived at the restaurant and Kagome paid their bill before grabbing Inuyasha's outstretched arm to exit the vehicle. He wrapped an arm around her waist, primarily because he was possessive, but also because he wanted to ensure she didn't trip or stumble. The pathway was slightly littered, and he genuinely feared for Kagome's arm. The restaurant wasn't busy, so the couple was seated almost immediately.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of utter silence, Kagome spoke. "What do you want to eat?"

Inuyasha's eyes snapped up to lock with hers. "Aren't we going to talk about the runt being a doctor and there being a paradox preventing him from telling us shit?!"

"What's there to talk about?"

"The runt is a **doctor** and we could be dead or alive! Maybe dead?!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Think about that for a second: if we were dead, Shippo would've been a hell of a lot more excited to see us. He was more shocked than anything." Kagome sipped some of the jasmine tea the waitress gave them. "In fact, I'd bet the Shikon no Tama he probably called _you_ right away to tell you what transpired, _Otou-san_."

"Shut the hell up," Inuyasha was blushing and it made Kagome cackle in delight.

Inuyasha busied himself with drinking his jasmine tea. Kagome blew into the cup and sipped delicately before voicing her thoughts: "I wonder who else is a youkai, then, that we've bumped in to. Shippo masked his scent and aura very well, hm?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Couldn't get a whiff of anything. In fact, with the medical centre being built for youkai… I didn't sense _any_ demons."

Kagome clamped her mouth shut when the waitress appeared at that moment. The couple placed their orders, Kagome taking the mushroom special okonomiyaki – made with enoki, mushroom, shimeji and eringhi – while Inuyasha opted to pick something from the monjayaki menu: kumamoto ramen, made with pork, red ginger, and egg. Kagome was not at all surprised that her future-mate chose ramen.

The waitress bowed and thanked them for their orders before scurrying off to let the kitchen know. Kagome sipped her jasmine tea again before continuing with the thought she had before the waitress interrupted.

"The youkai and hanyou of this era are masking their scents and auras, that's for certain." Kagome chewed on her lower lip as her eyes became distant; she was deep in thought. "Maybe I can ask Shippo when we come back on Friday for my x-rays?"

Inuyasha scoffed and Kagome's eyes focused on him. Kagome cocked her eyebrow, silently voicing her question: _what_ _the hell are you scoffing for?_ Inuyasha downed his tea and crossed his arms stubbornly across his chest. "The runt was calling you Okaa-san the entire time, why the fuck is he waiting two days to give you a damned x-ray appointment?" Once upon a time, Jii-chan explained to Inuyasha what an x-ray was. It was when he took a tumble down the shrine steps and broke his leg.

"Your arm is fucking _broken_. He should be getting you in right now."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "First: if that was a genuine concern of yours, you would've said so when he gave us the appointment—"

"I was too busy processing the fact we were standing in front of _Shippo_." Inuyasha interrupted, but Kagome continued as if he hadn't.

"And second: he's a doctor. Trust him, will you? He clearly identified my injury as being _under control_ so he decided that a few more days wasn't going to make the situation worse."

"Whether the runt is a few hundred years old, or over a thousand, you always are going to side with him… aren't you?" Inuyasha eyed her with obvious defeat, but Kagome didn't hear what he had said. She simply zoned in on one phrase and stuck to it.

"He's over a thousand?"

"No," Inuyasha snorted. "He's probably just shy of six hundred… he's less than a hundred years old in our time, you know that, right?" Kagome didn't miss the way he said _our_ time. She fought the warmth beginning to spread to her fingertips… he probably didn't mean anything from it.

"What I meant was it doesn't matter how old _he_ is, you're always going to side with him."

"Only if he's right," Kagome murmured. Inuyasha rolled his eyes as if he clearly did not believe a single word coming from her mouth, and Kagome chose not to argue with him. He _was_ right; no matter where in time they resided, she would probably always side with Shippo because Inuyasha had brute strength over him.

Unless Shippo was _very_ wrong.

Which was rare… he may be immature, but he wasn't stupid.

Their meals came out without a hitch and the two dove in almost immediately. Inuyasha was slurping his ramen down without so much as chewing, but Kagome was a bit more hesitant. Glancing at Kagome over the rim of his bowl, Inuyasha cocked both eyebrows.

"Something wrong with your meal?"

Kagome looked up at him and back down at her food. "It tastes… not right."

"Let me see," Inuyasha brought his chopsticks over to pick at her food. He brought a few pieces to his mouth and chewed while his eyes were locked with Kagome's. After a few bites and a quick swallow, Inuyasha shook his head.

"Seems fine to me."

Kagome looked back down at her food. "Maybe I'm just used to fresh meat from the feudal era."

"Well, yeah." Inuyasha looked at her if she had lost her mind. "I've been telling you that for _years_ … the meat here is kept in those fridge things; it loses its freshness."

Kagome furrowed her eyebrows. "Hmm… I guess I hadn't eaten out in a while."

"And I'm sure your mom gets fresh meat when she makes food for us," Inuyasha mused. "I think I mentioned to her in passing once that I hate the meat here."

"This is so weird," Kagome admitted. "I never thought that things in my era would actually bother me."

"Oh?" Inuyasha's eyebrows shot up. "What else bothers you?"

"Funnily enough, my outfit…" Kagome picked at the cotton material. "Can one get _too_ used to wearing a yukata?"

"It's possible. Modern day clothing is too restrictive, I find." Inuyasha went back to slurping his ramen, but Kagome was still deep in thought. If somebody told her when she first fell into the well that she'd be able to taste smog, dislike modern meat, and find her clothing restrictive, she would've laughed in the face. But there she was, three years later, finding her modern life to be moderately inconvenient compared to the dangerous life she lived in the past.

Inuyasha finished his ramen and downed his tall glass of water in one gulp. "Now that we have your arm situation under control… kind of… we can discuss the mating thing if you'd like." Inuyasha watched the blush on Kagome's cheeks travel down her neck. He found it endearing that the thought of mating with him made her blush uncontrollably.

"Yes, I would like…" Kagome murmured. Inuyasha leaned back in his chair, one leg stretched out languidly, as his arms were crossed behind the back of his head with his fingers interlacing.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"When?"

Inuyasha bit the inside of his cheek and thought for a moment before replying. "Unfortunately, we'd have to mate while you still have a broken arm. If we wait for it to heal fully, it'll take us right in to spring."

Kagome nodded. "I thought as much…"

It was Inuyasha's turn to blush. He looked away from her before he continued talking. "I'd like to… mate with you in our time… if that's okay."

Kagome blinked, watching _his_ blush travel down his neck. "That… would be perfect."

 _Are we actually planning on where to have sex?_ Kagome never thought she'd be in _that_ situation, but there she was. And she loved every moment of it.

Inuyasha inhaled deeply and Kagome busied herself with picking at her food. Both of their hearts were beating uncontrollably, but neither of them was going to admit to it (though, Inuyasha could hear _hers_ over the pounding of _his_ ). Inuyasha was ready to throw Kagome onto the table right there and rut with her until she was pregnant with his pup, but he had some semblance of control. Kagome, on the other hand, wanted to do nothing more than lean over and kiss Inuyasha.

_God, I love the feel of his lips._

"I'd… let's go back this weekend?" Inuyasha said, watching his meek Kagome try to look anywhere but at him. "After your x-ray?"

Kagome's eyes flew to catch his, her chest rising and falling in anticipating. "O…okay…" Inuyasha caught her stutter.

Inuyasha half nodded, a plan already formulating in his mind. "Get Souta to take you to the x-ray this Friday." Boy, was Inuyasha glad he listened when Kaori taught him the days of the week. The method of measuring days in _his_ era was slightly different from Kagome's.

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "Why…?"

"Just listen to me, will you woman?"

His tone made her huff, but he didn't care. If he was going to mate with Kagome in just a few nights, he had to ensure that the moment would be perfect. And that was what he was doing; he was going to Feudal Japan to make preparations for the exact moment he would make Kagome his for all eternity.

"Fine. I'll ask Souta." Kagome watched as Inuyasha relaxed slightly; he was a little tense over what her answer would be at him insisting she take Souta. Not like he was going to give her a choice in the matter.

But that was moot point.

"A sudden thought, though…" And it was sudden; the thought Kagome was about to voice hadn't crossed her mind until that very moment. "Would us mating be ammunition for Naraku?" Kagome asked and, for a brief moment, his eyes flashed red.

**'** **Like fucking hell I'd let him touch a hair on her head.'**

_'_ _You and me both, youkai.'_

**'** **You don't really stand a chance, but I appreciate the sentiment.'**

_'_ _Fuck off, will you.'_

"Naraku would try to use you as ammunition whether you were my mate or not." Inuyasha muttered with distaste whilst trying to ignore his youkai and human. "But, yes, he would."

"Then…" Kagome paused for a brief beat. "Would it make more sense to mate after?"

"It would," Inuyasha mumbled. "But by then the curse would get me and Naraku would get you. At least this way, I can protect you."

Kagome smiled. "I'm… I'm glad." She revealed, trying to fight her blush once more. Talking about her feelings with Inuyasha made her feel wildly embarrassed, but she needed to get comfortable with doing it. If she was going to spend nearly an eternity with him, she had to get over her embarrassment.

"I am too."

Both of their attentions turned to the waitress approaching them. With surprising ease, Inuyasha reached in to his pocket and withdrew the money he got from Kagome's mom. Her eyes widened in disbelief as Inuyasha paid their bill and got up out of his chair, holding an arm out to Kagome.

"How did you…"

"Never doubt a man who's hell-bent on providing for his mate."

Her heart was pounding and Inuyasha heard it. He heard the blood rushing in her veins and smelt the way her emotions shifted from amicability to blatant admiration. Trying to keep his arousal at bay, Inuyasha ushered to his outstretched arm and Kagome took it.

"Shall we go home?"

Not trusting her voice, Kagome simply nodded.

_.xx._

Friday came and Inuyasha was gone before dawn broke. Kagome knew he was returning to the feudal era. He hadn't exactly told her why, but she assumed it was to prepare for that weekend… _to prepare for us mating._

Noon was fast approaching so Kagome and Souta quickly got ready and hailed a cab, making their way to Ayakashi Medical Group for Kagome's x-ray and post x-ray appointment. Unlike Inuyasha, Souta had clambered into the back of the cab to sit next to his sister.

"Question," Souta asked as they slid into the backseat. "Why did you pick this place and not our family doctor?" Souta tried to keep his question as vague as possible, trying not to give any information away to the cab driver.

"Mama found this place for… _future_ incidents." Kagome explained trying to keep her voice hushed. "Mostly for Inuyasha, I think… but I came here for my arm because I didn't want to explain my old-school sling and medicinal herbs."

"But what made you think they wouldn't question you? It's not like _they_ still use old-school slings and medicinal herbs." Souta frowned, adding _I think?_ as an afterthought.

"Nothing. Nothing made me think that." Kagome lowered her voice even more and Souta had to lean forward to hear his sister. "I came here for the sole reason that Mama found it… seeing as this is an injury made by a demon, I wanted to have a demon treat it."

Souta nodded, not really understanding his sister's rationale, but choosing not to press it any further.

_.xx._

In record time, Inuyasha had crossed over the threshold of the well and sprinted to his brother's castle. He could catch the faint whiff of _his_ Shippo, but he knew it'd be best not to face the runt; _who knows what fucking paradox I'd break without Kagome around._ His feet barely touched the branches of the trees he leapt off of; he simply soared through the air, willing his muscles to move that much further…

That much faster.

Before the sun was high, signalling noontime, Inuyasha was at the foot of his brother's village. He jogged the rest of the way to the castle, only stopping to greet Daiki and Ranmaru.

"Lord Inuyasha," Daiki greeted as both of the warriors bowed. Ranmaru rose first and glanced around, obviously looking for somebody. Inuyasha, almost immediately, knew who.

"Kagome is back at the village," a lie if he ever said one, but perfected nonetheless. He wasn't going to say that she was in another era altogether. "I came to see Sesshomaru."

Daiki frowned. "Lord Sesshomaru has left to the North on some business… anything I can assist you with?"

Inuyasha warily glanced at Ranmaru. Deciding that it didn't matter whether the warrior was there or not, Inuyasha turned his attention back to Daiki and said: "Do you know of any small properties that Sesshomaru may have? I don't want a massive castle like this… something small that I can stay in for the next few nights.

Ranmaru furrowed his eyebrows, confused, but Daiki picked up on his message almost immediately. He crossed his arms and nodded, a deep look of concentration flashing across his eyes.

"There is one. Just larger than a hut, but cozy," Daiki half smirked. "It's built atop a hot spring."

"Where is it?"

"Not too far from here, less than half a day if you're running?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Good. Can you prepare it?"

"For when?"

Ranmaru seemed to clue in and his eyes widened. "Are you… is she… _the curse_?!"

"Shut the hell up." Daiki snarled at his warrior. "If Lord Inuyasha isn't telling you the nature of his business, do not intervene unless he deems you worthy of the information, understood?"

Ranmaru glared at Daiki. "If you weren't my brother _and_ my General, I would've shoved your sword so far up your ass, it'd come out your fucking mouth."

"Good thing I'm your brother, then." Daiki rolled his eyes and turned back to a highly amused Inuyasha. "My apologies. Brothers, you know?"

"Yeah, I know very well."

Ranmaru snorted. "Glad to see us brothers have a bad rap in these parts." His tone was playful. "Safe to assume that I'll be the one preparing the cottage?"

"No. I'm not sending my best warrior to prepare a cottage, Ranmaru." Daiki muttered. "Send Kota and Harue."

"She'd rip his balls off." Ranmaru gawked, wondering why his brother would make such a rookie decision. Inuyasha had to agree with the warrior, as well.

"I'm with Ranmaru." He saw both Daiki and Ranmaru glance back at him and added: "And I don't even know who the hell _Kota_ is."

Daiki chuckled and Ranmaru threw his head back in laughter. At least _this_ Lord had a sense of humour when he wasn't trying to save his woman's life. Daiki recovered first and shrugged his shoulders in indifference.

"You send two people then," Daiki ordered his brother. "Ensure it's perfect for Lord Inuyasha and Lady Kagome—I want _no_ complaints, understood? Food, bedding, yukatas… everything must be provided."

"For the saviours of our race? Fucking anything, Daiki." Ranmaru called over his shoulder as he began to walk off. Daiki shook his head in both annoyance and amusement; his brother was surely a character.

"It'll be ready." Daiki bowed curtly. "Are you going to return with Lady Kagome?"

Inuyasha nodded, once. "Tonight."

"It'll be ready. Follow the scent of jasmine; I'll have Ranmaru keep jasmine incense around the outside of the cottage so you can scent it."

"Good."

_.xx._

Kagome was slightly disappointed that she didn't see Shippo, but she couldn't blame the kitsune. He was probably thrown off his radar when she and Inuyasha walked into his clinic, seeking medical attention. He probably hadn't _anticipated_ for that to happen… _and that's probably because they're all masking their auras and scents, he didn't bank on us finding him without Inuyasha sensing him._ Kagome rationalized.

The x-ray was taken and she was seen by a stubby little doctor in the stead of Shippo. He indicating that x-ray identified that her bone was healing rather splendidly, and he took some time to properly re-bandage her arm. Now, with a properly wrapped arm and some heavily prescribed pain killers, Kagome left the clinic with loads of time to spare.

As she and Souta left the building, she missed the hazel eyes watching her with wonder and intensity, a cell phone pressed against his cheek.

"She's gone?"

"Yes, Otou-san."

"She didn't see you?"

"No."

"Good. Your fucking mouth can't be trusted."

"It's hard to lie to Okaa-san!"

"You're a pussy."

"Shut the hell up, Inuyasha."

"That's _Otou_ -san to you."

"… _keh_."

Shippo had definitely taken after his father.

_.xx._

Kagome said a quick goodbye to her mother, brother, and grandfather, promising that she'd be back before the end of the weekend. The couple travelled through the familiar essence of time before landing in the era Kagome considered home. As Inuyasha leapt out of the well with his arm wrapped around her waist, her heart began slamming against her ribcage.

She was moments away from being his mate.

Sure, it was to absolve himself from a curse that he had no part in, but Inuyasha was going to take her for all of eternity. She would be by his side, through thick and thin, through the river of time… and that was all that Kagome ever wanted.

Without warning, Inuyasha picked her up bridal style and began sprinting down the path to his brother's village; the second time that day. He welcomed the silence between him and Kagome. He was simply revelling in the way her arousal was slowly beginning to settle in, perfectly complementing the steady increasing of her heartbeat. He could sense that she was excited, and that only heightened his very own.

The woman that he shed tears for…

The woman that he threw himself off a cliff in his human form for…

The woman that he'd travel to the deepest depths of hell for…

That very woman was going to be _his_.

**Mine.**

_Mine._

Mine.

His sprint was rhythmic, matching to a perfect ratio of footfalls and Kagome's inhalations. Inuyasha was burning that very moment into the corners of his memory—he never, _ever_ , wanted to forget the moment that led up to him taking Kagome.

"Nervous?" He finally asked and he felt Kagome stiffen slightly in his arms.

"A little…"

He cut a sharp left when he approached his brother's village and inhaled deeply. He caught the faint scent of jasmine incense and began to sprint in that direction. Inuyasha was silently thankful for Daiki's smart thinking.

"So am I." He revealed and Kagome smiled, albeit half-heartedly, up at him.

"You sure about this?" Her voice was raspy and it made his chest tighten.

How could the angel in his arms even begin to _think_ that this was something he was unsure of? They had hiccups throughout their time together, sure, but he didn't feel like he gave her any reason to doubt his desire to _be_ with her…

 _Save the few times I ran off to Kikyo and left her waiting._ He chided himself before his youkai or human could beat him to the punch. He thanked his lucky stars that they both kept their mouths shut.

"Kagome," he croaked as he spotted the cottage. Smoke was rising from the chimney and he knew that Ranmaru ensured that the fire was stoked and the hot spring was ready. "Even if there wasn't a curse threatening to take my life, I'd still want to mate with you."

His eyes were glued onto the cottage, but he could see through his peripherals Kagome's eyes snap up to look at him.

"I… can't imagine spending eternity with anybody else other than you, wench."

Her heart was thundering and her blood was racing.

Inuyasha stopped just a few feet short of the cottage and gently placed Kagome down. She stumbled, just a bit, but regained her footing just as easily. Inuyasha ensured that his hand was on the small of her back, ready to make any move if she stumbled again. Even when she had her footing secured, his hand remained where it was—he needed to have contact with her body.

Kagome, though acutely aware of his touch, drank in her surroundings. Before her was a quaint hut that seemed fairly larger than Kaede's, but small enough to remain cozy. A beautifully large porch was situated at the foot of the hut, complete with two stools and a table, and massive flowerbeds. High trees with low hanging branches created a canopy overhead, shielding the sun but creating a beautiful glowing atmosphere that, at that very moment, exuded romance and sexual tension.

Kagome was able to peek a hot spring just behind the hut but it seemed to disappear as it got closer to the cute little residence. _Does it go_ in _to the hut?_

As she was lost in thought and awe, Inuyasha approached from behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Though caught off guard, Kagome relaxed almost immediately but tensed – in more of a carnal way – when she felt Inuyasha's breath tickle the shell of her ear.

"Are you ready to be mine, mate?"

* * *


	12. A Broken Paradox

**It has been quite some time since I updated, hm? A lot of terrible things happened all at once for me and I really needed some time to figure it all out. But, now that I am in a better headspace, here I am with an update !**

**But, really, it sucks that you guys had to wait for the official mating chapter LOL!**

* * *

 

The moment became nothing but a blur for Kagome. One moment Inuyasha was gently holding her, his breath tickling her ear… and the next? The next moment his lips were ravishing hers, his hands roaming every chasm of her body. With little control of her body, Kagome arched her chest and Inuyasha took that moment to wrap his arms around her tiny waist and pull her closer to him. The chirping birds, the scent of jasmine… everything began to disappear as Inuyasha lifted Kagome up bridal style to carry her over the threshold of the tiny cottage.

Their lips didn't part. With a kick, Inuyasha had both effectively opened and shut the door. Rose petals decorated the interior of the hut, and the fluffiest futon Inuyasha had ever seen lay smack in the center of the main area. As gently as he possibly could, Inuyasha lay Kagome down. It was only then that he broke the kiss.

"Are you sure?"

Kagome's eyes were half-lidded and her lips swollen with passion. "I've never been so sure of anything in my life."

And that was all Inuyasha needed. His lips gently enveloped Kagome's all over again and his hands began to undo the bindings of her clothing. When her bare skin was exposed, all of his senses were lost and his  _youkai_  took over…

* * *

 

The stars twinkled against the twilight of the sky. Inuyasha, who was clad in his inner slips, and Kagome, who wore nothing but his red outer haori, were nestled in each other's arms and sitting on the makeshift front patio of their hut. On Kagome's left collar, just above her collarbone, was a set of dual pin pricks – the only indication that she was Inuyasha's mate.

It was done.

 _I've mated with Kagome…_  though unfathomable, Inuyasha had to believe it. In his arms was his mate— _my-fucking-_ ** _mate_**. Never, in his paltry existence, did Inuyasha ever dare to dream that such a day would come. Not only was she his  _mate_ , but she had asked for him to couple with her  _multiple_ times after he bit her.  _And who am I to deny my mate what she needs?_  Finally, after countless hours of mating, exhaustion caught up with Kagome and she asked to simply enjoy the night air until she fell asleep.

And that was where Inuyasha was: holding his mate as she lulled to sleep.

Throughout his journey, Inuyasha knew that many men vied for Kagome's affection and it boggled his mind that she chose  _him_. She had been choosing him time and time again, despite his asshole nature when they first met. Inuyasha didn't even want to begin to think what would've happened if she gave up on him… or if she decided that he was too much to deal with and went back to her time forever.

He couldn't even fathom a life without his  _mate_.

 _I guess the curse has some merit._  Never did he think he'd be fucking  _thanking_ a curse either. That night was a night of many firsts for Inuyasha.

Glancing down, Inuyasha simply watching his sleeping mate for what felt like an eternity before leaning forward and kissing her temple.  _If you both can hear me… thank you again._ Inuyasha looked up at the sky in time to see a star shoot across the heavens.  _Thank you for bringing her to me… thank you for watching over us._

Inuyasha closed his eyes.

_Thank you…_

* * *

 

"We're  _mates_."

Inuyasha was baffled. There he was, as naked as the day as he was born, soaking in the hot spring behind the cottage and Kagome was  _shy_! She was shy of him seeing her  _naked_  body.  _How does that make any sense?!_

"That doesn't matter!"

Inuyasha's eyebrows shot up. Kagome was sitting at the edge of the hot spring, her legs dipped in the water and  _very clothed_.

"I saw you in all of your fucking glory last night, wench."

"Yes, but you don't need to  **now**." Kagome fought to hide her blush. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, rather exaggeratedly, and proceeded to waddle to where his  _mate_  was resting. Kagome eyed him warily, but knew he wouldn't try anything stupid seeing as she was still injured.

"Kagome," his voice was eerily calm. "I learned something about myself yesterday."

It was her turn to cock her eyebrows. "Oh?"

Inuyasha made it to where Kagome was sitting and spread her legs, slightly, so that he could stand between them. "Yep," his hands rested on her thighs and he leaned forward ever so slightly. "That I'm fucking addicted to your body and I think I need it at least twice a day every day until the day we die."

Kagome jerked back and kicked her mate in the chest. Inuyasha stumbled before doubling over in laughter—he wasn't  _lying_ … he was addicted to Kagome's body now that he had a taste of it. But hearing him  _say_ it was something that Kagome was not anticipating, and that was what made the inu-hanyou crack up.

"You're a pig."

" _Dog_." Inuyasha corrected. "I'm a  _dog_."

 _And isn't it ironic that the statement remains the same._ Kagome kicked her legs back and forth and watched her  _very_  naked mate rest against a boulder, clearly unashamed of his nakedness. It was rather forthright of him, and to be quite frank Kagome hadn't anticipated such a change in his behaviour so soon. She was still getting used to the idea of being his  _wife_ , but he seemed to be already comfortable with that notion.

 _It must be something that's innately bred into his kind._  Kagome reasoned.  _It's all instinctual for them, isn't it?_

"Now that  _that_  is taken care of," Inuyasha sunk deeper into the spring, "let's rest for the remainder of the day before going back to your time?"

"I'd like that." Kagome replied, smiling. Dawn had just broken and their habit of waking with the sun woke them up like clockwork. Inuyasha, when Kagome had fully roused from her slumber, suggested they take a dip in the hot spring. His  _intention_  was to mate with her all over again, but shyness on her behalf prevented him from doing so.

No matter.  _I have the rest of eternity to mate with her._  Additionally, if common sense prevailed, Inuyasha knew she would be a little sore down  _there_ … after all; he was the first (and only) man she had ever been with. The knowledge of that alone set forth a fire to erupt in his core.

"Do you know when your follow up is?" Inuyasha asked, using his chin to gesture at her arm.

Kagome shook her head. "Not a clue. They said Shippo will call me."

Inuyasha nodded and proceeded to dunk his head under water. A few bubbles later, Inuyasha resurfaced and wiped the excess water off of his face. "The runt had better make sure that you heal  _perfectly_."

His statement earned him a rather exaggerated eye roll from Kagome. "He calls me  _Okaa_ -san. I don't think anybody would let their beloved  _mother_  heal less than perfectly."

"I raised the runt so who the fuck knows."

Kagome opened her mouth to retort but stopped. "Well… you have a point."

"You were supposed to deny what I said."

"I don't deny the truth, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha could only shake his head. "Wench…" He let the sound of her giggle fill his soul as he leaned his head back on the boulder he was resting on and closed his eyes. He was etching that very moment into his expanding cavern of memories; the first moments spent with his mate. _This_ was the beginning of Inuyasha's eternity. Even before that very moment, Inuyasha wasn't ever going to let any harm come to Kagome, but after claiming her? There was no fucking way in  _hell_ anybody was going to  _look_  at her funny and get away with it.

"You know," Kagome shifted and Inuyasha broke out of his reverie. "We don't  **have**  to go back. I'm healing and there's nothing about my arm that's given Shippo or the x-ray doctor any suspicion."

"No."

Kagome raised her left brow. "No?"

"No." Inuyasha pushed himself up to sit on the boulder. He didn't miss neither Kagome's eyes quickly flitter over his man parts nor the intoxicating scent of her arousal spiking.

"No," he repeated firmly, not hiding the fact that _he_ was getting a little excited. He allowed himself to twitch, a motion that made Kagome (unintentionally, of course) lick her lips. "You're hurt and  _if_  we get into a dangerous battle, there's a **high** chance you can get hurt  _more_."

"We can always call for Harue and Ranmaru?"

It was Inuyasha's turn to roll his eyes. "I can't stand the two of them together. They test my patience _more_ than Miroku and Shippo did. **Combined**."

"I think they secretly like each other!" Inuyasha's eyes snapped to Kagome in time to see her sigh breathily. "It's unrequited love."

"Unrequited on whose behalf?!" Inuyasha gawked. "They both  _hate_  each other."

"I think Ranmaru secretly likes Harue," Kagome grinned. "Why else does he tease her so much?"

"Because she's an insufferable bitch?" Inuyasha murmured under his breath and Kagome kicked water in his direction. "What?!"

"She's nice." Kagome defended her new friend. "A little rough around the edges, but so are you."

"Hey!"

Kagome winked before pushing herself up out of her seated position. "I call it how I see it,  _Ta-ka-ha-shi._ "

"You can't do that!" Inuyasha spluttered as he watched his mate retreat back into the cabin. " _That's breaking the paradox_!"

* * *

 

Just as the disgustingly happy hanyou had intended, he and his mate rutted a few more times before getting ready to depart for the eve. The route to Goshinboku Village from where Sesshomaru's castle was built was a pathway that Inuyasha knew like the back of his hand—it wouldn't matter if they were travelling during daylight hours or not, he was confident that he would get Kagome through the well in one piece.

Kagome was secure in Inuyasha's arms, bridal style, as he soared through the treetops. He, involuntarily, gripped her tighter. A part of him felt that if he didn't hold on with the very fiber of his soul, she'd disappear forever.

**'She is ours now, hanyou. She will never disappear.'**

'Oh great. It's you two again…' With his brain going to auto-pilot, Inuyasha continued his trek through the trees while conversing with his two other identities.

' _Such love, hanyou.'_ His human soul slurred. _'You should be thanking youkai and I… we were the catalysts in you being mated to Kagome.'_

**'Damn right we were.'**

'Actually, the curse is the catalysts. You two are just annoyances.'

_'We're you, idiot.'_

**'And as much as you may despise your dual blooded nature, it's what our mate loves the most about us.'**

'Okay first of all, she doesn't love us. That's impossible. And second, I don't despise my blood. My ass is wishing the curse away when we get the jewel reassembled, not to become one or the other.'

_'You were going to wish me away initially…'_

**'And me, the time before that.'**

'Well apparently I need you both to be who I am, so guess what? You two are fucking stuck.'

**'I'm oddly okay with that…'**

_'As am I.'_

"Inuyasha?"

His two bloods hushed when Kagome's voice echoed through his mind. Idly, he glanced down at her before returning his gaze to the branches he was leaping off of. "What?"

"I need to pee."

"Are you—"

"I haven't peed since this morning!"

Groaning in annoyance, Inuyasha slowed to a halt as he descended from the trees. When he was sure his feet were securely planted on the ground, he gently lowered Kagome, gripping her arm and waiting for her to catch her balance. When he was sure that she wasn't going to tumble, he took a step back and shoved his arms into the large gaping openings of his haori sleeves.

"Do you need my help?" He asked while eyeing her arm.

Kagome sighed. "Unfortunately, yes, you have to help me pee, Inuyasha."

"I suppose this is what it means to be a mate," he muttered under his breath, earning him a smack thanks to Kagome's good arm.

"You helped me pee _before_ we mated, idiot."

"Somebody had to make sure the shard dectec— _okay, okay! Sorry_ , gods!" Inuyasha jumped out of the way when Kagome moved to smack his shoulder. He knew she knew that he was joking, but it didn't mean she _wasn't_ going to throw fists. She had been travelling with him long enough to know that resorting to violence was probably the most _logical_ thing to do. Well, in his era at least.

 _We have hundreds of years until we need to get used to **not** resorting to violence_.

Besides, at least she didn't _osuwari_ him. He'd take a smack over that _any day_.

With Kagome fully relieved, Inuyasha helped her shimmy her yukata down before taking off for Goshinboku village once again. The journey was quiet, but peaceful. It was definitely something Inuyasha was glad that he was given the chance to get used to.

* * *

 

"No **way**!!" An extremely pregnant Sango waddled out of their hut to greet her best friends. It had been quite a few nights since the four shard hunting companions reunited, and that was mainly because after Kagome's arm was injured, Inuyasha went straight for the well.

"You broke your arm," Sango took Miroku's outstretched arm to help herself out of the threshold, "spend a few nights in your era, come back, and _mate_?! You two **mated**?!"

Kagome blushed but Inuyasha puffed his chest out in pride. The two decided not to tell Miroku, Sango, and Shippo of the impending curse—that was _their_ battle alone—but decided to tell them all that the two decided to mate. Shippo would scent it on them eventually so there was no use in hiding it.

"About time." Miroku grinned. "We always knew you two felt something for each other."

Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged glances before looking away. There was absolutely no talk of _feelings_ when they mated, but they had to play the part in front of their friends. Denying such a thing would probably end up in them telling the others about the curse. But that was something that neither Inuyasha nor Kagome wanted to disclose.

"Yeah… anyway," Inuyasha was quick to change the topic. "We have to go." He gestured at Kagome's arm. "I'll visit every day, though." With his final statement, he used his chin to usher at Sango's belly.

Miroku clapped Inuyasha on the back. "Stay safe. I'll keep tabs on Naraku's whereabouts and any Shikon no Tama rumours."

Inuyasha nodded while gently placing a hand on the small of Kagome's back. "Thanks."

Kagome hurried forward and gently hugged her friend, remaining wary of her own broken arm. "As soon as I hear the baby is born, I'm coming right back!"

"You better, Obaa-san."

Kagome giggled and gave Sango one more gentle squeeze before departing with her mate. As soon as the monk and demon-slayer were positive that Inuyasha was out of earshot, they spoke what was on their mind simultaneously:

"They mated out of necessity."

Sango looked up at Miroku who continued to watch his two friends' wake.

"Something is wrong. I could tell there wasn't a love confession of any kind."

"And they're both stubborn," Miroku exhaled loudly. "They won't ask for our help because we're with child."

"Damn." Sango returned her gaze to where Inuyasha and Kagome were standing just moments ago. "I wish they opened up…"

"Kagome would've, but I have a feeling that whatever it is… it centers on Inuyasha more than Kagome."

* * *

 

Kaori had a message for Kagome that Shippo wanted to see her at noon the following day, which was perfect, really, as Kaori had an appointment herself just down the street and was able to drive Kagome and Inuyasha to the doctor's office. That night the family had ramen for dinner (much to Inuyasha's glee), and retired for the night. Before Kagome's head hit the pillow, she fell asleep and all Inuyasha could do was watch his mate in awe.

Up until yesterday he wondered who would be so grand to accept a lowly hanyou like himself to be their mate, for all of eternity. He always _knew_ Kagome would… but he didn't want to condemn her to the nightmares that his mother had to endure. But Inuyasha also knew that his father wasn't there to protect his mother… but he would be. His father might've been a king, but Inuyasha was a warrior. Not even  death could keep him away from his mate.

With great care, Inuyasha ran his clawed index finger down the length of her cheek and Kagome's eyes fluttered, briefly, before she went back to sound sleep. Images of her pregnant with his pups, raising his family, building their lives together kept flashing through his mind's eye. His heart, though involuntary, began pounding something fierce in his chest. If it weren't for his ribs, Inuyasha was positive his heart would have ripped out of his body.

_My mate… my family…_

Unable to hold himself back, Inuyasha leaned forward and kissed her temple before lying down on the bed.

_My everything._

* * *

 

"Your x-ray looked fine and everything is healing at textbook speed." Shippo declared as he wrote something on a prescription pad. Inuyasha, donning jeans that hugged his butt, a grey sweater, and black Chelsea boots, sat next to the patient seat and watched Shippo with deep intensity. Kagome, on the other hand, looked between Shippo, the prescription pad, and her arm.

"Err, Shippo?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't have health insurance so…."

Shippo stopped writing mid-prescription and closed his eyes, briefly. Without looking at Kagome, he continued writing the prescription and said: "You have the same name as my mother, so I'll handle it."

"No!" Kagome barked and Shippo looked up at her. Inuyasha, for once in his existence, decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Huh?"

"You yourself said the paradox cannot be tampered with. Just give me something less powerful."

It was taking all of Inuyasha's willpower not to contradict Kagome, but when it came to her era and anything time-travel related… he had to admit she was the expert. He _wanted_ Shippo to give her the best possible medicine, but he also knew that it would perhaps cause some sort of inevitable time shift.

"But—"

"No buts." Kagome hopped off of the patient seat. "All or nothing, Shippo."

The kitsune rubbed his temples. "I'm the doctor here."

"Yeah?" Kagome became cocky. "What kind of doctor calls their patient _Okaa-san_."

"Fuck, fine!" Shippo ripped up the prescription and began scribbling something else. "I hate that you always make sense Okaa… goddammit! Kagome!"

Inuyasha scoffed. " _Keh_. Runt, if calling her Okaa-san is what you're used to, just fucking do it. We already know we're your _parents_ , so whether you call her by her title or not, the damage is already done."

Shippo gawked at his father figure and watched him help his mother into her sweater. The Inuyasha before him exuded significantly more maturity versus the equivalent Inuyasha he knew _back then_. With shaking hands, Shippo handed the prescription to Inuyasha who pocketed it quickly.

"Ready, Kagome?"

"Yep!" She was beaming and she turned that energy to Shippo. "Should I book a follow up?"

"No…" Shippo pushed his glasses up. "I'll call you when it's time…

"Sounds good. Thanks!"

Shippo opened the door for Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha tipped his head towards the runt and Kagome winked in his direction—those were the parents he knew. These two were the ones that helped raise him. Clearing his throat, Shippo managed to squeeze out:

"I'll talk to you soon, Okaa-san. Take care of her, Otou-san."

"You know I will, runt." Inuyasha didn't miss a beat. When the two fully exited his office, Shippo shut the door and exhaled loudly.

_What – the – hell._

* * *

 

"That was mature of you," Kagome grinned at Inuyasha as they stood by the sidewalk, waiting for Kagome's mother. "Allowing him to call us Okaa and Otou."

Inuyasha snorted. "He could not, for the life of him, bring himself to say our names… which makes sense, if he's been calling us that for hundreds of years."

"Aww, the little hanyou is so mature."

"Shut up, Kagome."

Kagome couldn't help but cackle. She scanned the street to see that her mother's car wasn't in sight, but there _was_ an ice-cream shop on the other side. She pulled Inuyasha's sweater and ushered to the store. "Can we?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha cracked his neck. "You wait here? In case your mom shows up."

Kagome nodded and watched as Inuyasha walked to the streetlight, his strut incredibly powerful. She couldn't take her eyes off of his rounded butt—if she weren't in public, Kagome was sure she'd be salivating. The light turned green and, as effortlessly as water falling from a cliff, Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder and winked at Kagome before beginning to cross the street.

 _Oh, my heart._ Her union with Inuyasha wasn't something she thought was ever going to happen, but now that it did, Kagome was at a crossroad: did he do it because of the curse or could there be some sort of genuine feeling behind it? She wanted, oh so badly, for Inuyasha to be as madly in love with her as she was with him.

 _Oh well._ Momentarily, Kagome closed her eyes. _He could've had anybody to ward off the curse… he picked me._ Kagome couldn't forget, either, how it happened: just after he met with Kikyo, he rushed to her in a mad dash with nothing but frantic eyes. Sure, she'd seen him scared throughout the years she travelled with him, but that moment he looked downright terrified.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

Kagome's eyes snapped wide open at a familiar voice. Slowly, almost robotically, she turned around to see one face she could recognize from a mile away: "Kouga?!"

Standing before her, wearing dark grey slacks, a crisp white button-up shirt, and a long doctor's overcoat, was a longtime friend.

"Last I heard, your ass was backpacking through Europe with Rin!"

Kagome's heart was pounding. _He thinks I'm the other Kagome!_

"Whatever," Kouga looked around Kagome before returning his gaze to meet her eyes. "Your mutt of a mate forgets to tell me shit all the time. Anyway, I was going to call him today to tell him but I'll tell you instead, you know, since Inuyasha is unreliable."

Kagome's mouth was dry. She was unable to formulate any words as Kouga rambled on in front of her.

"Your sons are idiots. All three of them missed training with me yesterday. The only reliable pup you have in your pack is Inume!"

 _Inume?!_ Kagome's head was beginning to spin. Stumbling, just slightly, she gripped Kouga's arm for support.

"Kagome…?! You okay?"

"KOUGA NO!"

Slowly, Kagome looked over to see Shippo sprinting towards them. "THAT ISN'T KAGOME!"

"What do you mean this— _oh fuck!_ " Kouga's eyes snapped over to Kagome, realization dawning. It was as if time had stilled: Shippo running towards them, Kouga's eyes widening, and Kagome succumbing to unconsciousness. Somewhere, within the crowd and bustling streets, she heard the voice of her mate scream for her.

"KAGOME!"

* * *

 

**For those that know me throughout the decades, I can't write lemons LOL! I've tried, many times, but have always failed so… please use your wonderful imaginations ;)**


	13. To Be Yours, Your Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me a while to update. I've had a number of health issues over the span of 6 months that I am just getting over.

* * *

 

"I didn't know that wasn't Kagome!"

"Her scent wasn't masked, idiot… how the hell _couldn't_ you have known?!"

"I was too busy tryna figure out how to get a hold of this-era-idiot to tell him he only sired one good kid! His three sons are lazy mutts!"

"I have three sons?!"

"KOUGA! Stop fucking breaking the damned paradox!"

Kagome's ears filled with the sound of squabbling before she opened her eyes. She instinctually knew that wasn't at home; the bed she was lying on wasn't what she would deem comfortable. In her hazy just-regained-consciousness state, Kagome presumed that she was lying on an examination table in one of Shippo's patient rooms.

Before she could even begin to open her eyes, she felt her mate's gentle hand slide under her neck, preparing to support her to get to a seated position. Blinking her eyes open, Kagome's eyes locked with Inuyasha's concerned ones before she cracked a lopsided smile.

"I guess you can't leave me alone for even ice cream, hm?"

Snorting, Inuyasha managed to smile back. "Apparently not, wench." He helped her up and remained at her side as Kagome looked between a sheepish Kouga and a blatantly pissed off Shippo.

"Go ahead, moron, tell them the names of their kids too while you're at it!" Shippo growled, shoving Kouga's shoulder. "I don't _care_ if Okaa-san gets mad at me for swearing at _Kouga-oji-san_. **You're an idiot**! She's already on pain killers and you _surprising_ her was enough to make her pass out!"

"Shippo, stop yelling at Kouga-ojii." Kagome mumbled, resulting in Inuyasha barking out a single _ha_ , and Kouga's eyes widening. Shippo rolled his eyes and pushed past Kouga, approaching Kagome with what he _hoped_ was confidence.

"He almost told you guys—"

"If he did tell us the names of our kids," Kagome challenged, "do you think we'd name them otherwise?"

Shippo paused and Kouga watched, bemused. Inuyasha, once again, begrudgingly took the backseat in the conversation as this was something that was more up Kagome's alley. _Now, if the wench was fighting a demon, I'd be all over that shit like sticky on sticky rice!_

"Well, but…"

"Would I name Inume differently?"

Inuyasha's eyes snapped and locked onto the profile of his mate. When he ran out of the ice cream shop, it was just in time to see Kagome stumble forward, grab Kouga's arm, and then pass out. Inuyasha, though, didn't know it was Kouga at the time which made his blood sing in anger… finding out it was Kouga didn't help the situation, but he felt better knowing Kagome didn't seek help from a complete and utter stranger.

"But—"

"You aren't telling us what our jobs are, whether anybody we know is alive or not, what everybody else is up to… so I don't _think_ you're breaking anything by telling me the names of my kids or if I'm backpacking through Europe." It was hard to keep an angry face, but Kagome was managing. Her heart was pounding, seeing Shippo and Kouga in the same room… that only meant that Sesshomaru lived through time (evident, as Kouga did mention she was backpacking through Europe with Rin). _Who knows who else is alive in this era._

"I think it's better if you two just stayed in the past." Kouga shrugged. "We all live around here; you're bound to bump into our Inuyasha or Kagome any day."

Shippo nodded, solemnly.

"You're right," Kouga used his chin to usher at Kagome. "Knowing the names of your brats may not affect anything… but who knows how long it'll be until one of us accidentally tells you guys something that may, _actually_ , shift time all together."

Inuyasha decided it was his time to intervene. "That's fair, but I'm not going back while Naraku is around and Kagome is in this condition _and_ I'm not keeping her locked up in my era without ever seeing her family."

Kagome felt butterflies in the pit of her stomach. It wasn't often Inuyasha displayed his affection openly in public… it was a rare treat and, without fail, made Kagome's heart race uncontrollably and her love grow exponentially.

"That's fair too." Shippo muttered. "Just please, be careful. And mask your goddamned scents!"

Kagome chewed on her bottom lip. "We don't know how."

"Oh that's easy!" Kouga grinned. "Just go to— umph!" Kouga's frowned when Shippo slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Revealing _that_ is _actually_ going to shatter the paradox, you nimrod."

"What did I say about making fun of Kouga-oji!" Kagome chided more to tease Shippo as he kept calling her Okaa-san.

Shippo released Kouga and simply crossed his arms, harrumphing in the process. Kouga would be lying if he said he wasn't amused; the Kagome in front of him was fiercely protective of Shippo, which he knew from living through Feudal Japan. It tickled his funny bone to see her maternal side kick in so naturally for someone who she, _technically_ , didn't know.

"Basically our to-do list is to find out how to mask our scents and don't accidentally run in to anybody else, right?" Inuyasha confirmed as he watched Shippo and Kouga's faces. The doctor-runt nodded while the wolf gave Inuyasha a thumbs up.

"Alright, sounds easy enough. All I have to do is find somebody from _our_ era to mask our scents for us." Inuyasha stressed the word ' _our'_. Without saying anything else to his old comrades, Inuyasha helped Kagome up and off of the patient examination table. "Now, before idiot-for-brains over there," Inuyasha jerked his head towards Kouga who looked appalled in return, "says anything that'll kill one of us in the past, Kagome and I are outta here."

"Probably the smartest thing you've said in five centuries." Kouga mumbled under his breath which earned him a sucker punch to the arm, courtesy of Shippo.

"I don't see Otou-san potentially eradicating us from the face of the earth, now _do I_?" Shippo felt a migraine coming along, and he absolutely could _not_ wait to tell the Inuyasha of his era what the hell just happened. Nothing brought him more joy than to watch his father beat up on the wolf.

Albeit, they were pretty much toe-to-toe in strength, Inuyasha always, somehow, had the upper hand.

The kitsune and wolf of the future watched as Kagome and Inuyasha left the examination room, heading straight for the elevator without a look back. As soon as the duo were behind the closed door of the elevator, Shippo whirled onto Kouga: "Her scent was unmasked, how the hell could you not tell that she's not _our_ Kagome?!"

"I saw her fucking standing there, you idiot. How the hell was I supposed to know? I was too busy trying to figure out how the hell to tell them their sons are lazy fucks?"

"Pick up the goddamned cell phone and _text Otou-san_." Shippo snarled. "He's always on the phone for work. Or call Sesshomaru-oji-san. He _literally_ is always on his phone… texting Rin-oba." Shippo added the last bit as an after thought.

Kouga exhaled loudly and slumped against the patient examination table. "I lapsed in judgement. I really hope them knowing they have a daughter named Inume doesn't _actually_ fuck up the paradox."

"I doubt it will," Shippo murmured. "But we have to let _her_ know."

"You know I hate that. She's going to kill me."

"Not if Kagome gets to you first." Shippo muttered. "I'll call Otou-san. You… you're making _that_ call."

Kouga groaned and pushed himself off the table, muttering profanities under his breath as he removed his cell phone from his pocket and dialled a number from memory – as he didn't want to commit to saving it in his phone directory – while walking out of the room. Shippo, simultaneously, pulled his phone out of his pocket and hit speed-dial number two: _Otou-san_.

"Hey runt," the older voice of Inuyasha greeted him.

"We're fucked."

"What happened?"

Shippo eyed Kouga as he turned the corner. " _Kouga_ happened."

There was a brief pause before Inuyasha's snarled sounded: "What the hell did he do?"

_.xx._

Kagome was taking a bath as Inuyasha and Kaori sat in the living room, sharing a cup of coffee. It was a luxury Inuyasha rarely indulged in, but when he did he relished every moment of the beverage. Souta was out with a few of his friends and Kagome's grandfather was offering his daily evening prayer to the Goshinboku.

"How is everything in your era?"

Inuyasha's eyes flickered to his mother-in-law… _although she doesn't know that yet_. Kagome told him that she wanted to wait to tell her mother, as they had already consummated their union. Her intention was to find the right time to tell her mother.

Inuyasha, however, had alternate plans.

"Kaori-san," he began when Kaori went to take a deep sip of her coffee. "I wanted to… ask you something."

Kaori raised both eyebrows. "Oh? Go on then…" Kaori set her cup down and set her full attention on Inuyasha.

His heart was pounding, but on the outside he looked as calm as he ever did. His youkai and human bloods were roaring incessantly in his mind, but he had quickly mastered tuning them out until they grew tired and lay dormant. With a deep breath, Inuyasha blurted out what he wanted to say:

"May I take your daughter's hand in marriage?"

There.

He said it.

And he held his breath immediately afterwards. Inuyasha dared not breathe or look away from Kaori. Her eyes were wide, her inhalation so loud she might as well have screamed. Subconsciously, Inuyasha pressed his ears against his mane; _what the hell is this woman gonna say?!_

Kaori pushed herself up and wordlessly ushered Inuyasha to follow her. All but scrambling, Inuyasha got to his feet and pushed his hands into the pockets of the pants he was wearing; he had yet to change back into his haori. Ensuring he maintained a two-and-a-half step distance from his ignorant-of-the-fact mother-in-law, Inuyasha followed her into her bedroom.

He had seen her room only a hand full of times: a picture of Kagome and Souta hung above her headboard, while a picture of her and her late husband hung parallel from the siblings. Kaori gently shut the door behind her and gestured for Inuyasha to sit on her bed, which he reluctantly did.

His eyes never left Kaori, as she went to her closet and fished out a small wooden box. Sitting down next to Inuyasha, Kaori gently handed him the box.

Unsure of himself, Inuyasha took it but stared at Kaori confusedly.

"Open it," her voice cracked and Inuyasha immediately smelt tears. _Why is she crying?!_

Not questioning her, Inuyasha moved to open the box and was immediately greeted with a brilliantly gleaming ruby red stone set on a gold band. Next to it was a simple thin golden band that had a slight curve on one side of the ring, to clearly accommodate the stone.

"What… is this?" Inuyasha looked up at Kaori who, by this point, had tears streaming down her cheeks.

"This belonged to Kagome's grandmother from twenty generations ago, from her father's side." Kaori wiped her cheeks. "It's been passed down in his family for generations… traditionally, we give it to the men of our family but right after Kagome was born, he told me that if the man Kagome marries does not have an heirloom ring and is willing to take ours, to pass this onto her."

Inuyasha immediately knew he had Kagome's mother's blessing.

Kaori breathed deep a few times to calm her nerves before continuing: "He gave it to me when we got married. It took me a while to take off… but eventually I did, and I put it away for when it was time to pass it onto Kagome."

Inuyasha closed the lid of the box and looked over at his mate's mother. "Thank you."

He didn't know what else he could say. Inuyasha wasn't a man of very many words, especially when it came to _anybody_ other than Kagome.

Koari pushed herself up and stood directly in front of a sitting Inuyasha, leaning forward to kiss his forehead. "You've always been family… but I'm glad I can officially call you my son."

Inuyasha was surprised when he felt his eyes burn. He hadn't anticipated on getting emotional… clearing his throat, Inuyasha stood up and clutched the wooden box in his left hand. "Thank you…"

He paused, but only for a heartbeat.

"Mom."

_.xx._

Kagome came down to find Inuyasha and Souta sitting on the coach, silently chatting. Her mother was in the kitchen, and her grandfather was snug in his recliner, taking his pre-bedtime nap.

"Ah, Nee-chan!" Souta stood up. "I was telling Inu-nii-chan about the revitalized park by our old school."

Kagome cocked an eyebrow. "It's complete?"

"Yep." Souta nodded. "We should go—you feeling up to it? We won't be out for long."

"You should go, sweetheart!" Kaori called from the kitchen. "Dinner will be an hour or so anyway."

Inuyasha had his head tilted up and smirked at Kagome. Souta was bouncing from one foot to another, waiting for his sister's response. When she said the affirmative, Souta let out a whoop and ran upstairs to grab a sweater for himself and Kagome.

"You sure?" Kagome asked Inuyasha. He had changed into grey sweat pants and a white t-shirt some time ago; he looked as homely as they came.

Inuyasha snorted. "Wench, Souta asked _you_ , not me. Are _you_ sure?"

Kagome grinned. "I'm so sure! I haven't been to that park in ages… when I was a little girl; I would sneak Souta out of the house and go there before mom came back from work. Jii-chan would never notice." Kagome blushed a little at the last statement.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "You must've been a better sneak than you are now."

"Hey!"

Before Inuyasha could retort, Souta bounded down the stairs and draped Kagome's sweater over her shoulder. "Come on; let's go before it's totally dark!"

"You're a big boy, why does the park excite you?" Kagome asked as she and the two boys left the shrine.

"Nostalgia can do strange things to you, Nee-chan." Souta's response was almost instantaneous.

Inuyasha, from a few steps back, watched the fluid banter between the two siblings. The corner of his lip tugged… sure, Sesshomaru was his brother by blood ( _half_ -blood)… but Souta was the kind of brother Inuyasha always wanted.

And now he had it.

_.xx._

"Oh _wow_." Kagome breathed as she walked amongst a row of cherry blossom trees. "They really did make this place beautiful."

"Right?" Souta had his arm looped around Kagome's right arm, tugging her impatiently towards the gazebo in the center of the park. "Come _on_ , Nee-chan."

"Let me enjoy, brat." Kagome muttered. "Where's the fun in seeing the main attraction right away?"

Souta rolled his eyes. "I wanna show you so I can go home and have food."

"Should've known." Kagome murmured under her breath, smiling in spite of her statement. Her heart felt whole; seeing her childhood park with her brother, her _mate_ accompanying them. Although her soul belonged to Feudal Japan, her heart beat for Modern Japan. She lived fifteen years of her life with modern convenience and, although she was used to the au natural of Feudal Japan, her era would always beat in a special place in her heart.

The sweet evening air hugged Kagome, filling the very essence of her soul. She allowed Souta to drag her over to the gazebo. A makeshift moat guarded the gazebo; the only way to enter its vicinity was over a small faery-esque bridge. Kagome glanced over her shoulder to see where Inuyasha was but was taken back to see that he wasn't there. Turning back to ask her brother where Inuyasha went, she was surprised to see that he had –without her knowing—pulled his arm out of hers and disappeared as well.

"Souta?" Kagome called.

"Inuyasha?"

She wasn't afraid, she knew how to get home, but she was confused as to what the two boys were up to. What was the point of bringing her to a gazebo to play a practical joke?

"If you two are planning on scaring me, I'll kick your— _oh_!" Kagome took an involuntary step back when she saw Inuyasha swing into the gazebo. Kagome could only presume that he had leapt onto the roof of the gazebo without her knowing.

"What's going on—"

"You mated with me for my sake." Inuyasha took a step towards her, effectively cutting her off. "It wasn't for your benefit. You gain nothing from this other than a life being stuck with me."

Kagome opened her mouth to argue, but Inuyasha held his hand up to silence her. "Sure, I protect your ass and make sure you have a warm meal every night, but beyond that I really haven't done much for you… not as much as you've done for me."

Kagome was frozen in her spot, watching Inuyasha's muscles ripple as he continued his languid walk up to her. "Besides the obvious unpinning me from a tree bit, you've done more for me in so many ways… nobody else can, or ever will, compare to the impact you've had on my life. Sure, us mating was for convenience regarding a situation that's beyond our control but to be honest, Kagome, I'd have nobody else to spend the rest of my life with other than you."

Hot tears pooled behind her eyelids. _What's happening?_

Inuyasha finally made it to where Kagome was standing, ensuring he stopped just an arm's length away. "You became my mate _my_ way. I want to become yours _your_ way."

Inuyasha dropped down onto one knee, and immediately Kagome's tears began pouring down her cheeks. Her breath hitched when she saw her mother's engagement ring gripped between Inuyasha's index finger and thumb.

"Will you marry me?"

Kagome was a loss for words. She could hardly see Inuyasha behind her tears. She must've nodded, because next thing she knew the ring was slid onto her finger and she was pulled into a crushing embrace. Instinctively, her arms wrapped around her mate and she squeezed, as hard as she could, trying to convey her love for him through the very action alone.

"Now, you'll become my wife as well as my mate."

Kagome let out a strangled laugh, a cross between laughter and a sob. "And you'll be my husband…"

"Damn right."

"Woohooooo!"

Kagome pulled away to see Souta peeking out from behind a pillar of the gazebo, his phone in his hand. He was recording them.

"What the— _that's_ where you went?!"

"Well, duh. We planned this, Nee-chan." Souta stopped the recording and pocketed his phone before crossing his arms.

"But what's this mating of convenience business? Inu-nii-chan… did you coerce my sister into mating with you? Because even though you're a billion times stronger than me, I'll still attempt to kick your ass."

Kagome laughed as Inuyasha snorted. " _Soo_ scary, Souta."

"Good. I like knowing that you fear me."

"Shut up runt. And keep your nose out of our business."

Kagome shoved Inuyasha who looked down at her defensively. " _What_?!"

"Well you _said_ mates-of-convenience. It's natural my younger brother gets curious."

Souta gasped. "Oh my god, is it a sex thing?! _EWWW_ , Nee-chan!"

"It is **not** a fucking sex thing. Fuck, let's just go home. I'm hungry." Without waiting for their response, Inuyasha quickly left the gazebo and began trekking it back to the shrine. Kagome was once again in tears, but this time because of laughter.

"No, really," Souta looked at his sister. "Now I really _am_ concerned."

"Souta, don't worry." Kagome ruffled his hair before looping her arm through his. "We have everything under control."

"Well, this era still exists so I'm sure you have a handle on the past." Souta grinned. Kagome grinned right back at him, feeling nothing but total bliss at that very moment in time.

It was a moment she would take with her to her grave, never forgetting it for as long as she may live.

* * *


	14. An End to Bliss

* * *

 

_"_ Kagome!"

Kaori all but tackled her daughter when Kagome, Souta, and Inuyasha returned from their short trip from the park. Her screech startled Jii-chan awake who muttered incoherent words under his breath before waddling off to his bedroom.

"Darling let me see," Kaori grabbed Kagome's arm and stared at the ring, tears gathering in her eyes. Kagome was beaming, watching her mother run a finger over the sparkling ruby. She knew the story, of how her grandfather of twenty generations ago personally set out to find the perfect stone for his bride-to-be. He opted to pick a ruby as it reminded him of a Good Samaritan that saved him and his bride-to-be from a band of bandits.

"This is so wonderful! Oh, we have to plan the ceremony and—"

Kagome shook her head. "Mama, no…"

Souta and Inuyasha glanced at each other, both exchanging the same expression: _she doesn't want a ceremony?_

Kaori frowned. "What? No ceremony?"

Kagome smiled and offered her explanation: "A ceremony is simply tradition and Inuyasha and I are anything but traditional. Knowing that I'm his wife in his heart is all that I need."

Pouting, Kaori could do nothing but accept her daughter's decision. "Fine. But I'll be going to the government office to add Inuyasha's name to our _koseki_."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah… I have to talk to my brother about ours."

"You have a _koseki_?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at Kagome's flabbergasted question. "Of course we do, wench. _Everybody_ has one. Those things have been around since my father was in his teenage years… in human terms."

Kagome shook her head, clearly still surprised.

"Your Jii-chan and I were working on getting Inuyasha's residency papers for this era," Kaori said, ignoring Inuyasha and Kagome's short exchange. "Should almost be finalized, so I can go get his name added to our _koseki_ … but before that, what surname do you want to put down? Are you okay with Higurashi?"

It was now Inuyasha and Kagome's turn to exchange looks. Without missing a beat, Inuyasha filled in the gap: "No, put me down as a Takahashi."

_.xx._

"So I'll officially be Kagome Takahashi, hm?" Kagome was grinning as Inuyasha held her close while jumping into the well. It was just after dinner and the couple decided to pay their friends a visit for the evening before returning to Kagome's era.

"Doesn't matter what you are, wench. Ultimately, you're mine."

"How barbaric." Kagome's lips still tugged, her heart pounding at his proclamation of claim.

" _Keh_ —holy shit!" Inuyasha's eyes locked onto the lip of the well as he and Kagome finished their journey through time. Kagome looked at him and then up at the top of the well.

"What?!"

"The babies are here."

Kagome squealed as Inuyasha leapt out of the well and began sprinting towards Miroku's hut. Sure enough, dual sets of lungs were shrieking as Inuyasha and Kagome entered earshot. Inuyasha pressed his ears against the top of his head as they got closer and closer to the hut; eventually not even his silver mane could drown out the sounds of Miroku's brats.

"Wait," Kagome stopped, staring at the door of the hut and then back at Inuyasha, her eyes widening. "Did you say _babies_?!"

Grinning, he nodded and kicked the door open, revealing Miroku and Sango, sitting on a futon both cradling a baby. Shippo was perched on top of Miroku's head, staring down at one child while Kirara stared up at the babe in Sango's arms.

"Oh my god!" Kagome ran in to the room and dropped to her knees in front of her friends, staring in awe at the babies. "Oh, they are so precious…"

The child in Miroku's arm immediately quieted down when she saw Kagome peering at her. Breaking into a toothless grin, the child reached out to Kagome who smiled widely at her newborn niece.

"How beautiful… unfortunately I can't hold you yet, little one." Kagome looked at her left arm, sadly. "I'm a little broken… but soon, I will."

The baby, who clearly did not understand, began shrieking again. Kagome gave Miroku an apologetic grin who could do nothing but chuckle.

"It's been like this since the girls arrived last night…"

Inuyasha, who had been quiet the whole time, finally approached his friends and sat down beside Kagome. He brought his clawed index finger up to gently trace the side of the baby in Sango's arm.

"What're their names?" He whispered his voice hardly audible over the screaming. Almost immediately, the baby in Sango's arm stopped to stare at Inuyasha; unblinking, they both watched each other until the baby reached up for Inuyasha. Without hesitating, he lifted the baby gently in to his arms and cradled her close to his chest, enveloping her with his warmth.

"She's Aoi," Sango murmured, glad that her daughter was falling asleep.

"And this is Sora." Miroku gestured down at the girl in his arms. Upon hearing her sister cease crying, Sora decided to quiet her screaming to soft whimpering.

Miroku and Sango both looked between their daughters to their two awestricken friends. Shippo bounced off of Miroku's head to perch himself on Kagome's good shoulder. Wordlessly, she smiled over at him and leaned forward to peck his cheek.

"I miss you," she whispered and Shippo could only wrap his tiny arms around Kagome's head.

"Me too, Kagome."

Although she didn't want to admit it, hearing him say her name instead of Okaa-san hurt. But she knew that with time, her adoptive son would refer to her as such…

"How are you feeling?" Kagome looked at her best friend and saw that she looked exhausted. Her eyes were sunken and her smile seemed to be forced.

"Exhausted… Kaede went to the other side of the village to gather some herbs for me to help me sleep." Sango was cut off by her yawn. "But it's hard when I have to feed two girls."

"I'll bet." Kagome murmured. "But they're both absolutely beautiful. They look like you," Kagome winked at Miroku who laughed sheepishly.

"Thank you, Kagome. Not to burst the happy moment, but I'm very glad that we had girls instead of a son." The meaning was sombre, and all five of them felt it. Inuyasha decided to switch the topic and used his head to gesture at Kagome.

"Wench, show them."

Kagome looked confusedly at Inuyasha before she realized what he meant. Excitedly, she extended her right arm to show them the beautiful ring set – Kagome insisted that she wanted the band and engagement ring set immediately, as they weren't holding a ceremony. Traditionally, the rings were placed on the bride's left hand but seeing as how _that_ was impossible, Kagome decided to wear the rings on her right finger until her left arm healed.

Sango squealed as silently as possible. "Rings! You got her rings!"

Inuyasha scoffed. " _Keh_."

Miroku chuckled. "That's amazing… isn't it strange? We started this journey when we were nothing but coming out of our childhood and half of us are parents." Truly, it was awe inspiring. The four of them were nothing but strangers headed towards a common goal. Somewhere along the way, however, their friendship evolved into a familial bond. Kagome looked up to Sango as if she were her older sister, and Miroku was the goofy brother she never had. Somebody that she could get completely unbaised advice from.

Inuyasha, on the other hand, regarded the two to be higher up in the rankings of his pack. His dog blood was far more dominant than his human blood, so his view of familial bonds were vastly different from Kagome's. While he took on the role of _alpha male_ , Kagome by default assumed the role of _alpha female_. In the canine hierarchy system, that would make Miroku and Sango his _beta male_ and _female_. They were the second in command and, if anythere were to happen to him or Kagome, those two would immediately take on any human or demon that ranked lower in the hierarchy system. That is, Shippo and Kirara.

Regardless of blood and definition of family, the meaning remained the same for all of them.

"Yeah, adult stage while still on the same fucking mission." Inuyasha snorted. "You'd think after three years we'd—" He paused, his eyes wide. Kagome knew immediately what was coming and quickly told Sango to take Aoi out of his arms.

Without a second to spare, Sango withdrew Aoi and Inuyasha collapsed his arms both falling flat onto the floor and his breathing ragged. _The fucking curse_. Kagome hurried over and placed her right arm on his chest. She knew, from the many times darkness engulfed him, that his pain originated from where his heart was. Leaning close, she pressed her forehead against his cheek and whispered only loud enough for him to hear: _"It's okay… I'm here. We're going to make sure this never happens again."_

Shippo, Miroku and Sango watched, dumbfounded. They had never seen something like that happen and to be frank, it scared the shit out of them. After what felt like an eternity, Inuyasha recovered. Kagome used her sleeve to wipe the bead of sweat that collected on his forehead as he sat back on his hind legs, deeply inhaling and exhaling.

"What was that?" Miroku finally asked, his voice cracking.

"Nothing." Inuyasha croaked. He stood up and extended his arm to Kagome, helping her get up as well. "It doesn't concern you both… anyway, take rest. Kagome and I need to pay Sesshomaru a little visit."

"But—"

Kagome shook her head, stopping Sango before she could continue. "Please listen to him."

Sango, hesitantly, closed her mouth. A billion questions were running through her mind, but she was going to respect her friend's request and not ask them. _Yet_.

Miroku nodded at Shippo. "See them out? One wrong move and this one will wake up." He looked down at a sleeping Sora.

Shippo nodded from his spot on Kagome's shoulder. Exchanging one final look, Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo left the hut, leaving two very confused parents watch their retreating figures.

"I knew they got married for a reason." Sango whispered, hoping Inuyasha couldn't hear her. "That has to be it. What do you think it could be?"

Miroku shook his head. "I have no idea, but I'll find out…" Although he didn't know _how_ he was going to find out what was wrong with his friend. He was _determined_ to find out; Miroku decided in a heartbeat that if he and Sango could be of any help, they'd do it.

Two newborns or not, they would use any means necessary to help their _family_.Kagome and Inuyasha had been there for them time and time again throughout the years, and it was their turn to return the favour.

_.xx._

"You're going to Sesshomaru's?" Shippo asked as the duo walked towards the archway that signified the border of Goshinboku village.

"Yeah," Inuyasha nodded, only just recovering from the effect of the curse. His breathing finally evened and his hands stopped shaking. "I have to add Kagome to my _koseki_."

"Right." Shippo nodded. "Sesshomaru probably has to go with you to do it, right? Are you even on yours?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Of-fucking-course I am, idiot. My mother was alive until I was a kid, remember? My father should've put her on his, and she would've put me on it too."

"Just checking." Shippo muttered.

"How's school?" Kagome changed the topic, seeing Inuyasha getting frustrated with Shippo's barrage of questions. The topic of his parents was a sensitive one, and Kagome knew that better than anybody else.

"Boring." Shippo sighed. "I can't wait until I'm done. I wanna join you two on your adventures again."

"I know," Kagome smiled. "But you have to finish your schooling… otherwise the Kitsune clan'll come after us."

"Inuyasha can kick their asses." Shippo whispered. Inuyasha smirked.

"I'm sure he can, but he won't." Kagome said, firmly. "You don't have much longer, anyway. Before you know it, you'll be helping us kick Naraku's ass instead."

Shippo clapped his hands. "Yes! You two better not fight him until I'm ready."

"Yeah, let me go tell Naraku to hold off on destroying Japan until you graduate." Inuyasha said, sarcastically. Shippo blew his tongue at Inuyasha, who clenched his fist and held it up.

"Do that again, I dare you."

"I'm on Kagome's shoulder, you're too chicken to hit—AHH, KAGOME!" Shippo clung onto Kagome's head as Inuyasha took a menacing step forward. Kagome shot Inuyasha a look.

"Don't."

"But—"

"I said don't."

Pouting, Inuyasha shoved his hands into the sleeves of his haori and pick up his pace. Kagome smirked over at Shippo who blew a raspberry at the back of Inuyasha's head. Without missing a beat, Inuyasha called over his shoulder:

"I heard that."

The sound of Kagome and Shippo's laughter filled the air and, while they couldn't see him, Inuyasha smiled fondly. It would only be a matter of time before _this_ runt called him Otou-san. Once upon a time, that thought would've terrified him but Inuyasha was actually looking forward to that moment.

"Alright, my job here is done." Shippo jumped off of Kaogme's shoulder and smiled up at her. "You two have been safely delivered to the edge of the village. Now…" Shippo brought his hand up to shield his eyes as he scouted the area. "Time to find Kaede-baa-san."

Kagome's smile was affectionate. "Take care. See you soon?"

"Yep!" With a final wave, Shippo began running towards where he scented Kaede. Kagome allowed her shoulders to sag as she approached Inuyasha to walk in tandem beside him. He brought his hand over and interlaced his fingers through Kagome's before giving her a gentle squeeze.

"It's our reality, wench."

"I know." Kagome muttered. "I'm not complaining… I just hate that we leave him behind."

"He clearly is stuck with us for the rest of our lives, so enjoy the moments without him when you can."

Kagome giggled and looked up at Inuyasha. "Fine, you're right. Anyway! Can you please explain how you have a family register?"

"I told you, it's been around for as long as I can remember. It's not a modern day invention, you know." He rolled his eyes at his wife's expense. Subconsciously, he ran his thumb over the ruby of her ring, his heart picking up its pace by just a few beats per _second_.

"I have to look into its origins then," Kagome murmured. "Do you guys put surnames in your register?"

"No," Inuyasha shook his head. "I think it's done by your father's name." Inuyasha's eyes flickered down to his mate. "Like _Inuyasha_ , _son of Toga_."

Kagome considered what he said. "Are you going to add Takahashi?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "And tip Sesshomaru off? No fucking way. Let's just bide our time and see when we work our last name in."

"Makes sense."

Neither said anything else. A comforting silence settled upon them, and both welcomed it. The ambience of their surroundings filled the air; birds chirping, trees rustling, a distant stream trickling. The sounds were familiar to Kagome, and it comforted her. Walking with Inuyasha, hand-in-hand, in the era she called home was all that Kagome lived for. Whether it was hunting for the Shikon no Tama – _or to find a remedy to this curse_ –, as long as Kagome was with Inuyasha, it really didn't matter what she was doing.

_I love him so much._

So much that it hurt.

"Can we… stay the night at the castle?" Kagome asked not looking at Inuyasha.

He glanced down at her. "Why?"

_At least it wasn't a flat_ _ no _ _._

"You now… to spend time together."

Inuyasha cocked his eyebrows. "But we spend time in your era."

"Yes _but_ …" Kagome began blushing. "The walls are… thin."

"And— _ohhhh_!" Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Fuck, you should've just said you wanted to rut."

Kagome pulled her hand away from his and glared up at him. "Don't make it sound so disgusting. Who says _rut_?"

" **I** say rut," Inuyasha stopped and turned to face his wife. "You gotta problem, wench?"

"Yes. Say _love-making_."

"What the hell is **that**?! It sounds so fucking pansy."

"How the hell does a phrase sound pansy?"

"Hell if I know, but you just did it!"

Electricity sizzled between them, both unblinking and refusing to relent first. Kagome wiggled her nose and Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.

"Blink."

"No." Kagome narrowed her eyes, but still remained unblinking. A few seconds more ticked by, and just when Kagome thought she was going to lose because of her burning eyes, Inuyasha shoved her out of the way.

"Watch out!"

Kagome whirled around in time to see a dart sink into Inuyasha's neck. The rest happened as if it were in slow motion: Inuyasha pulled the dart out of his neck and spun around to frantically look at Kagome.

" _Run_!" He moved to take a step towards her but his legs stumbled and he collapsed.

"INUYASHA!"

Just as Kagome moved to get to Inuyasha, she felt a hand clamp over her mouth. Kagome let out an ear piercing scream and Inuyasha, with great difficulty, pulled his head up to watch his mate being dragged away.

"Ka _—gome…_ " He reached for Kagome, his arm shaking but a swift kick to his stomach knocked him unconscious.

"INUYASHAAA!" Kagome tried to scream from behind the hand over her mouth. Her captor shook her violently.

"Shut the hell up."

Without warning, a blindfold was tightly wrapped around her eyes and her hands were tied with a thick rope. She was thrown into what she believed was a carriage before somebody yanked a handkerchief around her mouth and tied it, preventing her from screaming. Her left arm was throbbing with pain, but her blindfold soaked up her tears. It wasn't the pain that was hurting her, it was the fact knowing her husband was lying somewhere unconscious that killed her soul

_Inuyasha..._

"There."

Kagome didn't recognize the voice.

"We've got the shard detector."

_Oh fuck._

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A koseki is a Japanese family register. It's where you add/remove names when there are marriages, births, deaths, divorce, etc.


	15. A Youkai's Sanity

* * *

 

Inuyasha regained consciousness to the rhythmic chirping of crickets. Moaning in residual pain, he rolled over onto his back and blinked several times, trying to get his eyes to focus. A crescent moon hung high in the sky, surrounded by twinkling stars and a rouge patch of clouds.

_The night of the new moon is coming…_

Grunting, Inuyasha sat up and looked around his surroundings. _Why the hell am I…_

He paused.

His eyes widened.

"KAGOME!"

He got to his feet and spun around in every direction, trying to catch the scent of his mate. But there was nothing… he couldn't catch a whiff of her intoxicating smell, and his panic began rising. _Where the fuck is she?!_

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha cupped his hands around his mouth and screamed for his wife, hoping he would receive some sort of clue as to where she is.

Again, he was met with nothing.

With his heart beginning to pound, Inuyasha leapt up to the tallest tree and scanned the area; he _had_ to remain calm. If he didn't think rationally, then he would be wasting time and that meant more of a chance of Kagome getting hurt.

**'** **Go to our brother.'** The raspy tone of his inner youkai filled his entire being. **'You are right to not release me. Going on a rampage will neither help us nor our mate.'**

Inuyasha inhaled deeply.

'And what can Sesshomaru do?'

_'_ _Much more than what're doing right now. Go!'_ It was the human's turn to chime in. Deciding to not fight against his dual bloods, Inuyasha began to run faster than he ever did in his life to his brother's castle. If he couldn't catch the scent of Kagome, that only meant a very intelligent band of assholes kidnapped her. He needed reinforcements…

He needed to use his brother's army.

Inuyasha's right arm tightly gripped the hilt of his Tetsusaiga as he ran. He needed to use all of the willpower that he had to ensure that he didn't transform into a blood-spilling demon. Inuyasha refused to believe that Kagome was hurt. His mate was strong, and his mate was cunning. She would find a way to ensure she was safe long enough for him to find her. She wasn't the revered priestess of the Shikon no Tama for _nothing_.

_I'll find you wench, and rip those fucking bastards' throats out._

Nobody touched his mate.

**Nobody.**

_.xx._

Inuyasha tore through the village at the foot of his brother's castle and jumped over the gate. His eyes were fixated on the main door; he was going to blow the fucking thing in and bee-line it to Sesshomaru. Inuyasha had no time to spare.

"Lord Inu— _whoa_!" Ranmaru stumbled back blinked a few times, watching the young lord hurricane through the castle grounds. _Why is he in a rush? And where is his mate…_ Ranmaru looked towards the gates of the castle grounds, expecting Kagome to appear. When the seconds ticked, and no Kagome was seen, Ranmaru immediately knew why Inuyasha was in such a hurry. Ranmaru broke into a run, sniffing to locate where Inuyasha ran off to. If his suspicions were correct, then Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were going to need him.

"Little brother," Ranmaru heard Sesshomaru's voice before he broke into the Lord of the West's chambers. "I've heard that you've mated with the human—"

"Kagome's been kidnapped!"

Sesshomaru's eyes widened and Ranmaru screeched to a halt behind Inuyasha.

"Your mate's been _what_?"

As Inuyasha was, technically, part of Sesshomaru's pack, it automatically made Kagome a member of it too. And Sesshomaru didn't take bad things happening to his pack very lightly.

"I don't know when," Inuyasha's eyes were searching his brother's. "One second we're walking, and the next some fucker shoots a dart at me and I'm knocked unconscious."

Sesshomaru's eyes flickered to Ranmaru for a brief seconds before he looked back at his brother. "Do you have the dart?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "No, I ripped it out before somebody kicked me…"

"Where?"

"Northwest of Goshinboku Village."

Sesshomaru nodded while giving his order to Ranmaru: "Assemble the Dogs. We need five of our best warriors… and bring Harue. We may need a bitch present as my brother's mate has been taken. You," Sesshomaru looked over at Inuyasha, "take a few moments and go see a healer."

"NO!"

Inuyasha's bark resonated in Sesshomaru's chamber, but his brother didn't so much as flinch.

"Little-idiot-brother, go get one of the healers to check up on you while Ranmaru prepares the men. You won't be of any help if the poison from the dart kicks in again."

Inuyasha, begrudgingly, heeded his brother's suggestion. It wasn't because they needed a few moments to gather the warriors, it was more because he wanted to make sure he was healthy enough to slaughter anybody who dared to touch his wife. Inuyasha glared at all those in his path as he stomped through the castle towards where the healers practiced their art. _The bitch never got kidnapped while we were travelling together, but now all of a fucking— oh, never mind, fat peach man kidnapped her not long after we started our journey. She's fucking kidnapping-prone._

It was taking the willpower of all three of his identities to not tear all of Japan up. Every second Kagome wasn't by his side felt like an eternity, but Inuyasha knew that the logical thing to do was to get his brother's help. Apart from the fact that she was his sister-in-law, Kagome was the catalyst that would ensure their curse was deferred. Knowing his elder brother, Inuyasha was most certain that Sesshomaru would be neck-in-neck with him in the race to annihilate those to dared to touch a member of the Western General's pack.

Inuyasha kicked the door open to the healer's room and glowered at them.

"Fucking heal me within ten fucking blinks."

The two youkai bitches scrambled to their feet, knowing that if they didn't heed the young lord's demand, they'd probably be thrown out of the tallest tower of the castle.

_.xx._

"Change." Sesshomaru barked at Inuyasha as the brothers stood in the central chamber.

"Why the hell am I going to waste time _changing_?!"

"You've worn those robes for as long as you've been alive. Change into the Western Gear, it's designed for combat." Sesshomaru wanted to kick his brother's ass for arguing with him. He knew the schematics of the haori and hakama set; he was the one that commissioned it as per Inuyasha's mother's request. Though it was versatile, it didn't provide much in terms of defense. The dart would never have been able to penetrate the dragon bone armour that was used to protect the Western Warriors.

"Sesshomaru, the longer we wait, the higher the chance my mate is hurt." Inuyasha snarled. "Fuck changing, let's just **go**."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed at his brother. "We've waited this long, ensuring you're wearing adequate armour to save your mate isn't going to make or break this situation."

"I swear on father's grave—"

"Keep swearing, go change." Sesshomaru waved his brother off and turned his back to him. Inuyasha snarled, about ready to drive his sword through Sesshomaru's back. Haughtily, he grabbed the Western Prince garb from Ranmaru's outstretched arms and began stripping in front of the assembled warriors. He didn't give a _fuck_ if they saw him in all his goddamned glory. The faster he changed, the faster he could get to his mate.

Within seconds he attached the dragon bone plates to his torso and strapped his Tetsusaiga on. His armour mirrored what his father would've worn, the subtle colours of the West sewn into the yukata.

"We go to where you were attacked first," Sesshomaru instructed. "See if there are clues, then we proceed from there. Ranmaru, you and Little Brother take the lead. Three men and Harue take the mid, while Daiki and I'll take the rear. We go at full speed, my brother's mate has been taken and we will show _no mercy_."

The warriors nodded somberly. Ranmaru gripped his stave and watched as Inuyasha marched forward to stand beside him. "Ready?" Inuyasha glanced at Ranmaru. The warrior hardly finishing nodding before Inuyasha sped out of the castle. He didn't want to admit it, but somehow the dragon bone armour set was significantly lighter and more aerodynamic than his haori and hakama set. Did that mean he was going to always wear the damned thing?

No.

But it was a good alternative.

**'** **You've been very mature during this situation, hanyou.'**

_'_ _I agree.'_

Inuyasha assumed auto-pilot as he prepared his subconscious to converse with his alter-egos.

'It was that or waste time trying to find Kagome in vain.'

**'** **Once upon a time, you would've.'**

'Well it ain't once-upon-a-fucking-time anymore, now is it?'

_'_ _No, it isn't. We've clearly changed since mating with her…'_

**'** **Other than the fact our entire clan is depending on us, it's the youkai tie.'** Inuyasha's full blood explained. **'It takes a lot to not release me, but the hanyou is holding on strong. He knows that I, alone, cannot accomplish anything.'**

'I'm gonna tie her to me until we both die of old age.'

_'_ _That's not very practical, but I suppose it's the thought that counts.'_

While Inuyasha conversed with his inner selves, the band of youkai ran at a speed that rivalled light, arriving at the area of attack in record time. Before Inuyasha could skid to a halt, Sesshomaru whizzed past him and stopped at the spot Inuyasha had lain unconscious. The warriors of the rear caught up as Sesshomaru bent forward and picked up half of a broken dart.

"The dart has the Northern insignia on it." Sesshomaru muttered to himself. Frowning, Inuyasha ran up to his brother, looking down at the dart he was examining.

"Northern? My mother's land?"

Sesshomaru nodded. "Something isn't right, though. Those lands have been under my care since father died. It's been taken care of…"

"If it's from mother's lands, wouldn't they have recognized me?"

"Highly unlikely. They've never seen you."

"Then why target me?"

Sesshomaru crushed the dart and glanced over at his brother. "I don't think they were targeting you. The left you for death, it's your mate they wanted."

For the first time since Kagome was kidnapped, Inuyasha's eyes flashed red for a brief second before returning to their natural tone. The entire while he kept himself sane by thinking that they kidnapped Kagome to get to him; the thought that Kagome was the actual target never crossed his mind. _The one good thing about that is if they were targeting her for a reason, they won't kill her._

But Inuyasha wasn't going to run risking her well-being.

"What now? I couldn't scent her when I woke up." Inuyasha inhaled deeply but, just as before, he didn't catch a whiff of anybody. Not Kagome, not her captors… nobody.

Sesshomaru furrowed his eyebrows. "They have a method of masking their scents. We can't hunt them by scent alone."

"Track them," Daiki spoke up. Ranmaru glanced at his brother; he was the best tracker in the entire army. He had taken it upon himself to undergo special training; he would block his sense of smell and used his sight and hearing to find his prey. Nobody, not even Ranmaru, had that skill.

"Track?" Inuyasha repeated and Daiki nodded.

"They must've counted on you using your nose. I think it's highly improbable that they hid their _tracks_." Daiki looked around for a moment, glancing from tree to tree until his eyes fell on what he was looking for: a broken tree branch just above dual footprints in the mud. Upon closer examination, Daiki was able to discern that the ridges in the shoes were meant for uneven terrain. It was a strong enough lead to assume that they belonged to those who attacked Inuyasha and took Kagome.

"They're human." Daiki announced, glancing back at his companions. "These tracks are made from shoes… that, too, to endure various terrains." Daiki looked back down at the tracks. "Youkai or hanyou would never have to wear these types of shoes.

Inuyasha snarled and whipped his head to look at his brother. "Northerners?!"

"All evidence points to it."

Inuyasha crackled his knuckles. "I'm gonna slaughter those fuckers in cold blood."

"You're their prince; you can't punish a whole region for one group's misdoing."

"You're the ass that's tried to kill me for _years_!" Inuyasha growled, his eyes narrowing and flashing red every so often. "Why are you trying to protect the asshole humans that _hurt my mate_?!"

Sesshomaru was not fazed at the least. "Do not act irrationally, little brother. If these people intended on kidnapping the human and not kill you, then don't be quick to assume that they'd spill her blood." The King of the West nodded at Daiki who shot into the trees to gather more clues. "They potentially know about her… _priestess_ abilities." Sesshomaru was indirectly referring to Kagome's ability to see the shards of the Shikon jewel.

"You're saying they're going to use her like **cattle**?!" His voice broke into a growl and the purple Western scars began to fade onto his cheeks. Inuyasha's hold on his inner demon was breaking. Within seconds, the demon unleashed.

**"** **Find my mate**." Inuyasha growled, his demonic anger flaring in deadly aura waves. **"Find her, or I will destroy every living creature on this fucking continent."**

With every word, every demonic feature that distinguished Inuyasha became prominent. For the first time, the Western crescent moon appeared on his forehead, with two stars at both crescent point… T _he Northern insignia._ Sesshomaru thought as he watched his brother's transformation without reaction.

The warriors watched with dropped jaws, never before seeing something like that before. Sure, they had hanyou pups in their village but none of them had ever come across an event that triggered their second blood. The scene was ethereal, and the power was vicious.

_His aura is stronger than Lord Sesshomaru's._ Harue thought, her chest pounding in fear.

"We will find her, little brother." Sesshomaru reassured. "But we must do it strategically. Destroying every living creature that crosses our path will tip off the men that took her. They may, then, do something to hurt her."

Inuyasha's growl echoed through the forest, causing birds to shoot into the sky, cawing and screeching in fear.

**"** **Do not entertain the thought that my mate will be hurt, elder brother."** His youkai blood knew his place in Sesshomaru's pack hierarchy; if Sesshomaru reigned was alpha that made Inuyasha the beta… the one to take the place of the alpha if anything should happen to him. While hanyou (and human) Inuyasha showed Sesshomaru little respect, his youkai blood did otherwise.

"I am not entertaining that—"

"I found a torn bit of clothing!" Daiki's voice hollered, causing all heads to whip in the direction of his voice. Daiki dropped from the tree, landing swiftly on his feet with a very small piece of cloth clutched in his left hand. As he unclenched his fist, a faint scent filled all the dog demons' nose.

"It's faint," Daiki jogged towards the Western Lords, "but I think it's a lead."

Sesshomaru nodded and glanced at Ranmaru and Harue. "You two are the fastest… take the lead, scout them out. Daiki, scour the area for more clues."

**"** **And what are you expecting me to do? Sit down twiddling my thumbs?"**

"Your human idioms are amusing, little brother." Sesshomaru's eyes were unwavering as he stared into the reddened ochre of his younger brother's eyes. "We are going to go into your mate's village to see if—"

**"** **No."**

Sesshomaru raised both eyebrows in amusement. "No?"

**"** **My mate's friends have recently given birth to two pups."** The youkai kept his voice levelled. The voices of hanyou-Inuyasha and human-Inuyasha were echoing in his mind, allowing him to remain a calm composure. As he grew older, and his power grew stronger, Inuyasha's ties with his three identities became more cohesive. He was less three people, and more fusing into one.

**"** **We will not frighten them. If they knew of something, they would have sent words with the kitsune."**

Sesshomaru exhaled slowly. _Although little brother is desperate to find his mate, he still has a sense of sanity. His mate has done wonders…_

"Understood," Sesshomaru nodded once. "Let Harue and Ranmaru scout what they can… after Daiki, Ranmaru is the next best scout. We have to wait for Daiki to return with more clues—"

Chest rumbling, Inuyasha walked to a tree and drove his fist through it, forcing it to topple to the ground and crush a running fox. His red eyes flicked to where the fox corpse lay before looking back at his handiwork. His heart felt no remorse, his soul felt no pain.

**_I need my mate back._ **

Whirling on his heel, Inuyasha strode past Sesshomaru in the direction that Ranmaru and Harue ran off to. He refused to sit idly by, waiting for those who weren't related to his mate at all to do all of the dirty work. Kagome was _his_ mate, and _he_ would be the one to locate her. The youkai knew he was unable to do it alone, which is why the hanyou ran to seek assistance from his brother… but now that the warriors were in his presence, Inuyasha moved to take the lead.

**"** **I refuse to wait for those three to return."** Sesshomaru watched as his brother disappeared in to the forest, his fists clenched. Inhaling audibly, he nodded to the warriors.

"Let's take the rear."

Wordlessly, the warriors followed Sesshomaru. They didn't say anything, all of them speechless with the events that unfolded before their very eyes. The normally eccentric hanyou that cursed and showed no respect to the Western Lord transformed in to a youkai that remained coolly controlled. The danger that radiated from him was frightening, and all those present knew that if it came to a battle of brute strength, Lord Inuyasha would destroy Lord Sesshomaru.

_.xx._

Daiki, Harue, and Ranmaru's scents were faint; indicating that they had ran through the area that Inuyasha was scouting. Sesshomaru silently instructed his warriors to search for any clues while he stayed with Inuyasha. His youkai was typically very volatile and Sesshomaru was bidding his time until Inuyasha lost his handle on reality and went on a killing rampage. When that happened, Sesshomaru was the only one strong enough to subdue him, able to pin him down until his younger brother regained his sanity.

**"** **Carriage wheels."** Inuyasha snarled. Sesshomaru closed the gap between them and came to a stop to his brother's left side. Indeed, imprinted in the soil and fallen foliage, were carriage tracks and horseshoe prints. They were a ways away from where Inuyasha was shot with the dart, which meant that _if_ the carriage trails belong to Kagome's captors, they had to drag her a far enough distance to ensure that Inuyasha didn't immediately locate them.

"Let's follow." Sesshomaru murmured. "Daiki, Harue, and Ranmaru can catch up with us. Men!"

With the blink of an eye, the Western warriors appeared kneeling in front of the Lord Brothers. Inuyasha didn't give them a sparing glance as he began sprinting, following the direction that the tracks were going. It was going to take them to one of two places: where his mate was, or where her captors originated from.

Either way, blood would spill.

'Hang in there, Kagome. _'_ Hanyou-Inuyasha's essence filled his corporeal being. 'Do not lose your sanity, youkai.'

**'** **It's quite the difficult feat, hanyou.'**

'You're holding on strong. Just a bit more until we find Kagome… or kill the village that sent those fucking assholes.'

All the while, the human remained silent. While his anger was tangible, he did not hold one-tenth of the strength the other two identities possessed. The human part of Inuyasha's dual blood channeled all of his energy into ensuring the youkai remained coherent and sane for as long as possible.

**"** **I will find you mate."** Inuyasha whispered his voice coarse and raspy.

His hanyou finished his thought: 'And I'm never letting you go…'

* * *

 


	16. Kita no Ningen

* * *

 

The carriage made headway towards an unknown location, the occasional bump in the road being any indication to Kagome that they were still on the move. She was slumped against the side of the carriage, her right hand bound, her mouth gagged, and her eyes blindfolded. From what Kagome gathered, there was one more person in the carriage with her but she was unsure as to who it could be.

_Could it be a bandit to watch me? Or another victim…_

Kagome's soul screamed with all of its essence, hoping that divines delivered the message to Inuyasha. Kagome  _knew_  her mate. She  _knew_  how possessive he was. How protective he could be… being knocked unconscious while having your mate taken from you was enough to drive any demon wild, but the case was different with genetically canine demons.

Wolves, dogs, and coyote demons would shred anybody that stood in their way, just for the sake of their mate.

Despite growing up in the wild, being shunned by both of his bloods, Kagome knew that the innate possessiveness Inuyasha had would rival any full-blooded demon when it came to her wellbeing.

"Onee-chan… are you okay?"

Kagome's head snapped in the direction of where a timid voice sounded.  _So the person in here with me_ is _another victim. And she sounds young… early teens, I think._

Kagome nodded, trying to convey the message that she was okay. Despite being bound, gagged, and blindfolded, the priestess that housed the Shikon no Tama knew that she had to fake her own courage for the sake of those around her. It was a trait she grew up with that only fostered and strengthened during her travels with her misfit band of shard hunters.

"Hold on…"

There was a soft shuffling before Kagome felt something soft press against her forehead.  _It must be her face…_

Kagome was surprised when she felt the blindfold being pulled down. The darkness welcomed her and within a matter of moments, Kagome's eyes adjusted enough to see a very frightened girl kneeling before her, hands bound as well. She had used her teeth to pull the blindfold down to Kagome's neck.

Because she was gagged, Kagome was unable to smile but she hoped that the look in her eyes reflected appreciation. She girl smiled back.

"There… turn around? I think I can get the gag."

Nodding, Kagome turned her head and the girl shuffled forward, grabbing one end of the knot with her teeth and yanked. Kagome's head jerked back but she pulled forward, hoping the two opposing forces would be enough to untie the gag. To her relief, it did work and the gag fell haplessly onto Kagome's lap.

"Thank you." Kagome said, her voice hoarse. "What's your name?"

"Kimiko… and you?"

"I'm Kagome."

Kimiko furrowed her eyebrows, thinking very hard for a moment before her eyes lit up with excitement. "Are you the famous shard detector that travels with the hanyou?"

Kagome smiled wistfully. She knew there were legends and rumours about her and Inuyasha that whispered through the winds of Japan. It didn't surprise her that this girl recognized her name.

"The very same. You've heard of us?"

Kimiko grinned with excitement, bouncing on her knees to prove it. "I've heard so much about you! My village is always hoping that you and Onii-chan would come through." Kimiko's grin dropped, but slightly. "You haven't yet, but that's okay! That just means there aren't any bad demons around our village with the Shikon no Tama shards."

"That's a very positive way of thinking, Kimiko." Kagome said, smiling in amusement. "Which village are you from?"

" _Kita no Ningen_." Kimiko shuffled a little closer to Kagome. "We're the village at the foot of the Northern Castle… we're the only region of the continent that's run by humans. The other Demon Lords take care of us…" Kimiko bit her lower lip and Kagome began piecing the puzzle together. "I can't remember their names exactly. There's Lord Sesshomaru of the West—"

Kagome decided to take over, as she knew the other demon lords  _very_  well. "Sesshomaru of the West, Kouga of the East and Toran of the South."

Kimiko gasped, clearly very surprised at Kagome's knowledge of the Compass Lords – the title given to the four rules of the corners of Japan. "You know all of their names by heart? Have you met them?"

It warmed Kagome's heart hearing Kimiko's innocent question. To her, seeing Sesshomaru and Kouga was a daily occurrence. To somebody like Kimiko, however; a young girl that knew nothing other than the four walls of her village… meeting the Compass Lords would be the highlight of her life.

"I know Lord Sesshomaru and Lord Kouga personally. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Lady Toran yet."  _She doesn't need to know that Sesshomaru is my big brother. The knowledge that I know Sesshomaru and am related to him could be too much for her to handle right now._

Kimiko's eyes were twinkling, excitement radiating off of her body. "You  _know_  Lord Sesshomaru and Lord Kouga  _personally_?! I've only seen them when they do rounds…" Kimiko bit her lower lip, thinking very hard. "Well, I've seen Lord Sesshomaru on a frequent enough basis. Lord Kouga and Lady Toran don't really make rounds to the North, now that I think about it."

 _Of course they wouldn't._  Kagome thought.  _The land belongs to Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru probably thinks it's his duty as the elder brother to look after it until Inuyasha is deemed fit to rule. Whatever treaty forced Kouga and Toran to lend a hand in its protection is clearly not working._

"Say, Onee-chan…" Kimiko's shoulders slumped. "Do you know who these men are?"

Kagome shook her head. "Your guess is as good as mine, Kimiko. Do you have any idea of why were you taken?"

Kimiko shrugged. "I don't really know. I overheard them talking about the  _Heir to the North_ and the  _Shard Detector_ …"

_Heir to the North? But that's Inuyasha… why did they leave him if they need him?_

"Well, I am the shard detector." Kagome offered. "That's why my friends and I travel Japan, to reassemble the jewel. You know the story, don't you?"

Kimiko nodded, considering what Kagome said. "That's right… well; I  _guess_  I'm an heir, then."

Kagome's eyebrows shot up. "Eh?"

Nodding with excitement, the fear that Kimiko expressed earlier seemed to vanish. She truly still was a child. "Yep! Lady Izayoi is my ancestor; I share the same bloodline as her from my mother's side. Since Lord Sesshomaru's brother, who was Lady Izayoi's son, has been missing, he can't assume the throne." Shock rocked Kagome to the core.  _Kimiko is related to Inuyasha?!_  He  _did_  have living family other than Sesshomaru.

"But my blood is too distant," Kimiko murmured. "Nobody else is related to Lazy Izayoi though. Maybe that's why they took me?"

Kagome crawled over to where Kimiko was and sat next to her, pressing her arm against hers. Her left arm was pounding mercilessly; lucky for her, her captors didn't undo the bindings but simply tied her right arm with the sling of her left. They also wrapped a binding around her torso to keep her arms in place.

"So you're the heir and I'm the detector," Kagome concluded. "What could they want from us?"

"I don't know… I hope somebody saves us." Kimiko sounded devastated, her tone echoing resignation.

"I know somebody will. I have friends who are  _very_  protective of me… they won't rest until they know I'm safe. They'll come for us, I have no doubt about that." Kagome knew that, if not anybody else, Inuyasha would come get her. She was unsure if he'd call Miroku or Shippo to join him; it was likely he went into beast mode as soon as he regained consciousness, but Kagome wasn't sure. She was basing her assumptions on what historically Inuyasha had done.

"Your friend, the hanyou, is going to come?" Kimiko whispered. "Do you really think he'll come and risk his life for us? I don't think my friends would do something like that…"

Kagome laughed. "He's a  _very_  good friend," Kagome leaned forward so her lips were close to Kimiko's ear. "He's actually my husband."

"Ehh?!" Kimiko's eyes snapped wide open and she whipped her head to Kagome. "You married him!? That is so romantic… I want somebody to marry me…"

Kagome threw her head back and laughed with her heart for the first time since she was thrown into the back of a carriage. Kimiko was very scatter-brained, but it was endearing. Within moments, Kagome's heart opened up to include Kimiko; she knew that, whether she saw the girl again or not, she would always hold a special place.

The carriage abruptly came to a halt and the carriage door was thrown wide open. Kagome inhaled sharply, realizing that her lack of gag and blindfold would tip the bandits off—it was too late, though, as there was no way she and Kimiko could put it back on. Their hands were bound tightly.

"Get out!… how the hell did your blinds come off?!"

Kagome felt Kimiko stiffen.

"I'm the shard detector, as you said." Kagome boldly stated. "I'm also a priestess. Did you not consider I could undo the bindings with my chi alone?"

The bandit snarled and shook his fisted hand at Kagome. "You make one wrong move, and I'll oust you."

"I would like to see you try." Kagome didn't know how she got so ballsy, but something within her insisted that she kept going. The more she talked, the less their attention would be on Kimiko.

" **Get out**!" The bandit roared, making Kimiko jump. Kagome looked at her affectionately and nodded, just slightly. She was trying to convey to Kimiko that as long as she was around, nothing would happen to her. Kimiko seemed to understand and sent a meek smile back at Kagome before clambering off of the carriage first. Kagome followed suite, manoeuvring her body so that she could get off the carriage without the use of her hands.

It was dark outside; Kagome was unable to determine where exactly the bandits had taken them. All she could see was a small run down hut with a boar carcass outside of it. Fleas infested the thing; a putrid stench filled the air making Kimiko gag unintentionally. One bandit behind them shoved them viciously, pushing them to go forward and in to the hut.

"Move!"

Kagome stumbled forward but did as she was told silently. Her heart slammed against her chest, her soul once again crying out to Inuyasha—he  _would_  find her. He always did, and she knew he always would. She didn't care about herself; she had been banged up, beaten, and kidnapped more times than she could count. She was worried about the young girl with her that probably never had to deal with bad guys before.

It was enough to lose one's innocence.

They passed the boar carcass and Kimiko buried her nose into Kagome's back, walking close enough for their feet to keep colliding. Kagome held her breath, walking slow enough for Kimiko to keep up; she called her Onee-chan, and it reminded her of Souta.

Souta; one of those she would die for.

Candles were lit in the empty hut, but five bandits stood around the perimeter. The one that was behind them pushed them into the centre and told them to kneel and stay seated. Kimiko was curled up next to Kagome, trying to hardest to remain strong but failing miserably. Tears soaked the side of Kagome's yukata and it burned her insides with an anger so fierce.

 _Wait until Inuyasha comes._  Her threat echoed only in her mind.  _I hope he slaughters each of you…_

Kagome never wished death upon a fellow human, but her disgust and hatred towards those that kidnapped poor Kimiko was so astounding that Kagome wanted nothing more than slow, miserable, painful deaths for the bandits. The little girl was afraid and, evidently, taken before Kagome.  _How long did she have to endure their wrath?! How could her spirit still be so strong when talking to me when who knows what she was put through…_

If Kagome had demon blood in her veins, she was certain she'd turn in to a cold-blooded demon at that very moment.

"Now you wait for our leader, Goshen." One of the bandits called out. "When he comes, we move."

"To where?" Kagome called out, unafraid. She determined that she and Kimiko were important characters in a bigger game. They weren't going to kill them  _yet_. Not until this Goshen guy came…

"Wouldn't you like to know,  _shard detector_." The bandits laughed, the one that was behind them scoffing loudly.

"Oh, the stories we've heard! A hanyou bastard with unparalleled strength that travelled with a priestess who could sense the shards… What strength?! One shot of my tranquillizer darts knocked him out like a little bastard baby." Their harsh laughter echoed.

Kagome chose to stay silent and just glare in response.  _She_  knew Inuyasha would find her.  _She_  knew that he'd punish those men for even laying a finger on her.  _She_  knew how protective he was when it came to her… to the point where he'd challenge any gods above for even  _looking_  at her funnily. But  **they**  didn't know any of that, and they would have a rude awakening when a demon charged through their hut, hacking them into little pieces.

Kagome flinched when one of leaders approached her and gripped the front of her yukata. Kimiko gasped, pulled slightly away from Kagome, eyes widening in pure fear.

"You're a pretty one, hm? Goshen will like you." Then, without warning, the bandit ripped her yukata, exposing one bare breast. Tears sprung in to Kagome's eyes as all the men watched, laughing. She snapped her eyes shut, praying that he didn't lay a hand on her—on the body that solely belonged to Inuyasha. It was as if some divine was listening to her; the bandit took a step back to simply stare, but not touch.

"Goshen will want to play with you first.  **Then**  we will have our turn. Come, men!" The bandits all left the hut, blowing out all candles except for one. When the door was shut and a few seconds passed, Kagome sprung into tears, curling forward so that her chest was as least exposed as possible. Alarmed, Kimiko scurried over and knelt in front of Kagome.

"Onee-chan?"

Kagome heaved, her sobs causing her body to convulse. In all the years she's been travelling, never had she felt so embarrassed… so exposed… so disgraced.

"Onee-chan, please calm down." Kimiko whispered. "They didn't do anything…"

Kagome shook her head, unable to listen to reason. Her spirit was breaking and her soul was dying; she wanted Inuyasha to gather her in his arms and kiss away the pain. She wanted to hear his heartbeat against her ear as they lay underneath the stars.

She needed him.

"Nobody is here but me, Onee-chan." Kimiko murmured. "We have each other. And when Onii-chan comes to save us, he'll beat them up, right?"

Kagome's cries quieted to a sniffle.  _He'll kill them… but death is too easy of a punishment for them._

Kagome and Kimiko shuffled over to a corner, Kagome tucking her body as far as she could into it with Kimiko sitting between her legs, shielding Kagome's exposed body from any bandit that may walk in. Before long, they fell into a restless sleep, their exhaustion finally catching up as their adrenaline subsided.

_.xx._

Kagome awoke from her sleep, groggy and unaware of what time of day it was. Kimiko was sleeping on Kagome's chest, her cheek pressed against her exposed breast. Kagome's heart filled with a maternal affection; Kimiko was ready to get into harm's way to protect Kagome's dignity. If a bandit had entered the hut and saw that Kimiko used her body to shield Kagome's nakedness, who knew what would've happened.

Leaning her head back against the wall, Kagome closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose.

_How long has it been… Inuyasha, where are you?_

There was no reason that Kagome could fathom why a random group of bandits wanted to kidnap her and Kimiko.  _Technically_ , they wanted her and Inuyasha as he was the true heir to the North. As his identity was still a mystery to the greater populous, the bandits couldn't have known that they shot a tranquillizer at the  _actual_  heir.

If Inuyasha had been kidnapped with Kagome instead of Kimiko, it would have meant that the little girl remained safe and Inuyasha and Kagome could save themselves with little to no effort.

It would've also meant that Kagome would never have been exposed to such indignity.

Tears welled in her eyes again, remembering the moment her yukata tore and her body became visible. Normally, Kagome wore bindings around her chest but that was only when she and Inuyasha travelled with the anticipation of being in a battle. Kagome was in her era for quite some time and didn't bind herself when she came back. All she was expecting to do was meet up with Sango and Miroku before making their quick pit stop at Sesshomaru's castle before heading back to her time.

The door of the hut flew open and Kimiko shot awake, pushing herself off of Kagome's chest to look at who entered the hut, but keeping her body strategically placed.

It was a bandit that neither girl had seen yet. His face was gaunt and his hair was in a dishevelled state. The stench of sake filled the hut as soon as he entered; he had to have been drinking all night.

"Ahhh, you're both so beautiful. But  _you_ …" He stomped forward and roughly shoved Kimiko aside. Kagome screamed as Kimiko collided with the wall. Her body slumped and she groaned in pain. Thankfully, she was still conscious.

The bandit hungrily stared at Kagome. "Kitsukami wasn't lying. You have milky skin, shard detector."

 _This has to be Goshen…_  Kagome's limbs tingled with fear. She would rather he hit her, injure her, break a limb… but she didn't want him to touch her.

Goshen reached out his hand, moving for Kagome's breast. Kagome screamed as she moved out of the way while kicking her foot forward, causing the dirty bandit's knee to buckle. Goshen fell forward but used his hands to steady himself with the corner walls of the hut. His eyes flashed with anger.

"Your body belongs to  _me_  now."

A sudden crash sounded from the outside and, within seconds, the front wall of the hut was torn down.

**"Get the fuck away from my mate."**

* * *


End file.
